


A Helping Hand

by Tobiroth



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-14
Updated: 2017-11-24
Packaged: 2018-12-15 07:36:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 22,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11801439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tobiroth/pseuds/Tobiroth
Summary: A bizarre cat wearing a cape and a crown comes to Infantryman Cloud Strife for help.  Through the occasional favor Cloud starts to learn more about ShinRa, get closer to his crushes, Zack and Sephiroth, and figure out what (or who?) is really behind Cait Sith's actions.





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Part of Cloud's Birthday Week 2k17. This was ridiculously fun to write. Thanks for reading!

ShinRa Tower was so large a building that walking around the outside of it in its entirety took quite some time. With a few smaller satellite buildings dotted around the main Tower there were all sorts of tucked-away places to hide in.

Most were under video surveillance for that reason; ShinRa took security seriously. Some Infantryperson somewhere was probably watching a couple-dozen computer screens showing footage of these areas, mostly walls, and occasionally the small nook with a bench for reading a book or resting after a jog around the Tower.

Cloud was pretty sure he'd found a small spot not under the watch of a video camera. And if there was one—it didn't matter anyway, it wasn't like he got up to no good out here, he just liked his space. While Nibelheim was mostly empty fields and tundra, with snow-capped mountains in the distance, Midgar had another metal wall every couple dozen feet and cramped hallways packed with Infantry.

He hadn't even realized he was a little claustrophobic before moving here.

And it wasn't even like his special spot was all that great—he was right by an exhaust vent for the building's HVAC. It was super loud and bellowed hot air, but he sat away from it and with enough time the constant drone of it faded into the background like restaurant chatter. As something of an introvert, Cloud needed some time alone every couple days; he retreated here and played games on his PHS or wrote letters to his mother. It was chill and Cloud stayed undisturbed.

Until, one day, the wall whispered, "Laddie."

Cloud looked up from his PHS, pausing his action game with a tap of his finger, and looked around. The acoustics in these little alcoves could get weird. He went back to it.

"Laddie!"

Cloud squinted, peering up and down the side of the wall. "In the vent," came the voice, muffled under the roar of the AC. "I need ya to do me a favor."

"Are you okay?" Cloud scrambled up, moving closer, feeling the sweaty gush of the AC's exhaust.

"Aie aie aie," came the voice, "Act natural! Pretend you're not talking to anybody, eh?"

"Um." Cloud moved to the side, away from the vent, and stared straight ahead. He tucked his chin into his scarf to obscure his mouth. He swallowed. "You're speaking to a member of the ShinRa Infantry," he said, his grip tightening around his baton lying along his right thigh. "Reveal yourself—if you're an eco-terrorist trying to infiltrate the Tower I  _will_ report you."

Whoever was in the vent let out a long whistle. "Impressive. The company's been hiring a good batch, it looks like. It's good to see."

Cloud cut off the distracting small talk with an aggressive, "Who are you? I will call my CO in the next thirty seconds."

"Oy!" They sounded outraged. "I work for ShinRa too, I promise."

"Prove it."

"What's your last name? I'll look you up in the database; I have the authorization to do that."

"…Strife," Cloud said, hesitantly.

"Hmm… only one of those currently employed. Seventeen years old. From Nibelheim—interesting place, there's a Mako reactor there, made it special—joined up seven months ago. Looks like you're struggling in your rifle class, nya ha ha."

"What!" Cloud had been thinking about how the person in the vent was either really employed by ShinRa or was a talented hacker, but the rifle comment distracted him. "That's in my file?"

"Yessiree, along with the fact that you're better than average with swords. Did fairly well in the SOLDIER exam with the practice swords."

"Oh." Cloud's heart skipped a beat at the mention of the SOLDIER exam. He fought the urge to stomp off, now hurting at the memories of failure. "Answer my question. What's the best elevator to use?"

"…The one behind the showroom on the lobby floor," they answered. "It doesn't have that couple-second lag when the doors close."

"And who never uses that elevator?"

"The execs. Stuck-up, the lot of them, if you ask me." They sounded a little nervous.

An exec, then, perhaps? Regardless, nobody would know the thing about the elevators if they weren't regularly in the building, actually walking around and not crawling through vents.

"What do you want?"

They sounded relieved. "I need you to block the security camera for me. Move a bit to the left, would you?"

"A camera?" Cloud had been so sure there was no such thing here.

"Obviously, laddie, they're everywhere. Except in here, nyahaha. There you go—a little more left. I can see you on the camera feed. Yes, yes, I know the air is hot—I'm practically melting apart in here. Angle yerself towards the wall. Now lean against it, all casual-like. Yep, you're facing the camera now. Stay just like that."

Cloud held the position he'd been maneuvered into. He squinted at the opposite wall. Eventually he found it; a little out-of-place dot in the concrete wall. Damn. His back was to the vent now, and he stiffened as the metal grate was pushed out from the inside.

"Reach a hand back," came the voice, a little clearer now without the grate, though still quiet under the roar of the AC. Cloud did, and the weight of the metal grate settled into his hand. He held on, hiding it behind his back. He pulled out his PHS and pretended to be playing a game with his other hand. The back of his neck prickled; it was so uncomfortable knowing there was someone behind him that he couldn't see.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to help," came the voice. Cloud snorted, and they continued after a huff, "Getting some readings on the quality of the air we're cycling through the building. I installed a couple new air filters, to get rid of the smog and such, and if they're successful they will be used in some homes under the Plate. Unfortunately, no one is letting me close enough to measure the air quality."

"…Why not?"

"Well, laddie, I suspect it's because they're not working. Why else? It means I have to design some new filters and install them, and that costs  _money_ , and my department's budget is  _woefully low_ , and…"

They muttered to themselves, and Cloud heard a couple small movements. Metallic scufflings, the sounds of light feet. Casually, Cloud turned his head as much as he could to get an eye of the person who had been inside the vent.

Cloud expected them to be small, because those vents were too tiny for Cloud to fit in, but he hadn't expected a three foot-tall humanoid cat wearing a crown.

Cloud breathed, "What."

The cat turned around. It had a small cape, red, and it was blowing around in the hot air. "Don't be gapin', laddie," it said, "We're on a mission!"

Cloud's head snapped around again and he stared at the wall.

The cat had been hanging something around the wide, curved metal pipe beside the vent that carried presumably air up to the many stories above. It wore white gloves and had a white-tipped tail, most of it a darker black with white patches on its belly and face. It even had boots.

"Are you a monster?"

The cat laughed. "Nay, not a monster—I'm just a Cait Sith!"

"A Cait Sith."

"Yep. And just so you don't go worryin', this little device here ain't a bomb or anything like that—it measures pollution. I poked a small hole in the pipe so it'll measure it."

"Why all the secrecy?"

"Like I said, for whatever reason they don't want me pokin' around the filtration system, which makes me think it's not workin'. They'd rather let something not work than spend the money to fix it to ensure a good quality of life—now isn't  _that_ repulsive?"

"Ah…yeah."

After another moment Cloud heard the grate go back onto the wall. "Move back a couple steps," the voice said. Cloud moved more fully into the gush of air. "Lean back onto it as hard as you can."

Cloud pushed against the grate, and he felt small, gloved hands (…paws?) scrabble against the back of his uniform as it pulled. The blond felt the grate snap back into place.

"Thanks," Cait Sith said, "You were a big help!" Then Cloud heard it crawl away, the small thumping noises growing quieter.

Cloud casually inspected the small device hanging around the air pipe. He'd had a few classes on how to identify bombs and this certainly didn't look like one. If it was… well, he was now an accomplice to it.

Weird.

It was a few days before Cloud managed to get enough free time to go out to his usual spot. He wasn't sure what to expect. He was hardly in The Know around ShinRa but he did have a few Infantry friends who were fairly involved with building security and none of them had mentioned the discovery of a mysterious bomb or an intruder in the vents.

The little pollution reader was gone, a tiny bit of sealant covered the tiny hole that had been poked through it, and taped to the back side of the pipe, the side away from the security camera, was a note.

 _C.S.,_ it said,  _Thank you again for your help last time. You are a trustworthy young man. If you're willing, I need your help again. According to your schedule you have the afternoon and evening of this coming Friday off. Please come to the stall all the way on the left in the men's bathroom on the lobby floor at five p.m. You're doing ShinRa a great service, even if they don't know it yet. —another C.S._

That was rather…demanding, Cloud thought. And rather rude. He helped someone once, and then there they were checking his training schedule like a creep and asking his help for…whatever they were asking his help for. The handwriting looked elegant and the diction fairly different from how Cait Sith spoke. Was it even the same person—cat? No one else would have known about this… It was ridiculous.

No matter how ridiculous it was, for some Gaia-forsaken reason Cloud found himself hesitantly opening the door to the bathroom that Friday. Some of his friends were going into Sector 8 to party and Cloud had even turned down their invitation, he was  _that_  curious about what was going to happen.

He peeked under the stalls; it was empty in here, and he couldn't see any furry legs in the stall all the way to the side. Still, he crept over to it and pushed the door inwards.

Cait Sith stood on the closed toilet seat, body bopping along to some rhythm Cloud couldn't hear. Crown, gloves, furry little face, red cape.

"Cloud!" Cait Sith greeted. "Ya made it. Good."

Cloud looked up—an air vent went into this stall. "You really did leave me that note," he said, a bit amazed.

Cait Sith tilted its head, peering at him with small, feline eyes. "Well, of course. Good help is hard to find 'round here."

"You mean people dumb enough to go along with what you want and not ask too many questions."

Cait Sith rubbed the back of its neck. "Maybe, but you seem like a genuine good sort. I promise, I'm not up to anythin' bad."

"A promise won't do me much good if I get jailed or court marshalled for this."

"You'll just have ta believe me, laddie—ya won't. I'll make it worth yer while for the help, though."

That sounded even sleazier than before, Cloud thought privately. "What was the verdict on the vent?"

"Aye, they're broken, all right. Barely stopping any of the mako smog from entering the buildings at all. Sure, the air inside the Tower  _looks_ prettier, and there ain't no green tint to it, but it's not healthy. Ya think people would care more since we're breathing the same air up there in the boardroom!"

 _We,_ Cloud thought.  _Cait Sith is in on board meetings?_

Cait Sith sighed. They gestured to a sports bag hanging on the hook on the back of the toilet stall. "Put that on, wouldja? I'm gonna climb in."

As they left the bathroom, Cait Sith a sturdy weight against his back, Cloud asked, "Where are we going?"

"I need a ride down below the plate," came Cait Sith's voice from inside the bag. "I'm a little too conspicuous getting down on the trains myself. I need to visit a couple businesses in Sector 8."

"Why?"

"We installed a version of those air filters on ShinRa partner businesses—prototypes for the commercial ones we plan to install in people's homes. They won't be much help to the public if they'll still be chokin' on smog, will they, laddie?"

"Guess not," Cloud muttered, moving his lips as little as possible as they moved out through the lobby. It bustled at all hours; the rotating group of receptionists never left the front desk unstaffed. When he cleared the building and was outside he said to his backpack, "To the train station?"

"Aye, laddie."

Cloud wore civvies, having learned shortly after joining that if you were off-duty you did not want to wear your uniform beneath the plate. He had his badge, though, and with a swipe of it at the turnstile at the station he got in without his bag being inspected. He shuffled on the train behind what looked like some off-duty SOLDIERs, probably Third Class, and a couple civilians who just lived above the plate. Expensive stuff.

He sat in the back of the train car and carefully propped the bag up in the empty cushion next to him.

"Okay, we're on the train," Cloud whispered. He didn't get a response.

During the ID check halfway down, with the blaring red alarm and the scan of everyone's IDs aboard the train just in case someone snuck on that wasn't supposed to, Cloud asked Cait Sith, "Hey. What's your gender? How should I refer to you?"

"Cait Sith is a boy," was the answer, sounding amused.

"And what's your accent?" It was quite thick; sometimes Cloud had trouble understanding him.

"It's just how a Cait Sith talks."

"A Cait Sith. So… there are more of you?"

"Cait Sith the Third, at your service, laddie."

Cloud muttered, "Seems like  _I'm_ the one at  _your_ service, honestly."

Muffled laughter was the response.

Sector 8 was one of Cloud's favorite places. Nibelheim's version of nightlife was the single pub full of upset adults avoiding their families. This part of town had clubs and bars, theaters and LOVELESS Avenue. He shouldered his heavy backpack (was Cait Sith made of fucking  _metal_?) and walked in the direction Cait Sith told him to go, towards an offshoot street.

He didn't get far before an arm was slung over his shoulder.

Cloud turned, hands coming up, preparing to knock the stranger away, but they came still to rest for a moment too long on the chest of the person when he realized it was Zack Fair.

"Hey, Spike! Long time no see!"

Zack Fair, the dude he'd gotten along surprisingly well with on a mission last month and who he'd been nursing a  _wicked_ crush on ever since. "Zack," Cloud said, "Oh—hey."

The arm around his shoulders squeezed and then disappeared. Zack was so tall, and so grin-y, and so handsome, and Cloud hated that he was 'on a mission' with a crown-wearing cat monster.

"How've you been, man?"

"Good. I've been good." Cloud's tongue felt clumsy in his mouth. "Not busy—ah, I mean, doing the usual thing."

Zack  _winked_ at him. "That's good to hear. You busy at all right now?"

"…Well, kind of."

"Aw, c'mon! I wanna buy you a drink. My treat. I've been meaning to come see you ever since the Mideel mission but I've been busy."

Cloud hesitated. He felt a small jab between his shoulder blades, probably Cait Sith's elbow. "Sorry," he began, but then Zack clapped his hands together and tilted his head with his dark bangs falling into his bright SOLDIER eyes just right—

A moment later he was being whisked along beside Zack to a  _really chill bar, you'll like it_ while Cait Sith stubbornly jabbed him again, trying to keep Cloud on track.

Tough shit, cat—Cloud was doing the weird little thing a huge favor anyway; they could afford a brief detour.

Zack and Cloud chatted about their week as they made their way there. The bar was just off LOVELESS Ave, and despite it only being about six-thirty the music inside was loud and vibrating. The neon lights took a moment to get used to after being outside in the artificial sun lamps.

There weren't any seats at the bar open, so while they waited for two people to leave they grabbed two drinks and stood off to the side, leaning against a wall. Cloud could feel the thud of the bass through it, moving through his shoulder and even stirring the tequila in his glass.

(Tequila, known to make certain drinkers rather horny, was perhaps not the best choice, Cloud realized as Zack stood so tall next to him. It kind of felt like he was being caged back against the wall… and, Cloud realized a moment later, he kind of fucking loved it.)

"So how's your training going?" Cloud asked. "I think before you mentioned Angeal Hewley pushes you pretty hard."

Cloud remembered almost every word, actually, but he was playing it cool. Zack groaned, closing his eyes and tipping his head back.  _Hot._ "Ugh. Angeal's as tough on me as ever. It's cool though—it's only a matter of time before I hit First Class at this rate."

"Oh yeah? You think you'll be evaluated for it soon?"

"Yeah. Genesis let it slide the other day that Angeal and Lazard have been talking about arranging some sort of mission for me."

"You were really impressive in Mideel…I'm sure you'll do well."

Cloud wasn't sure how to flirt for shit, but he'd realized Zack liked compliments. Zack puffed out his chest and tried to give a casual shrug (he failed). "Ya think so?" He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah," Cloud confirmed. "Sure do."

With the occasional jab from Cait Sith, Cloud and Zack kept talking. They eventually got bar stools and sat there, Zack buying Cloud three more drinks that were really strong, too—Cloud was tipsy at the end of it and even smacked his elbow back into the bag when Cait Sith hit his shoulder blade, trying to get him to abandon Zack.

"What's in there?" Zack asked, his elbow up on the counter and his hand propping up his chin.

"…Library books," Cloud said, feeling very transparent. "I had more free time than usual this month so, ah, I read a lot."

"Oh yeah, the one a couple blocks East? I like that place."

"Erm, yeah."

"There's a library in the Tower though, just so ya know. Near the SOLDIER floor."

"Oh. I'll be sure to check it out."

"Yeah." Zack smiled at him, his mako eyes lasered in on Cloud's face. "You should."

One last drink—and then Zack invited Cloud to dance. Cloud heard Cait Sith groan under his breath in the backpack.

Shyly, Cloud shrank back, wishing he had his green scarf with him. "I'm not very good," he said—but Zack waved him off with a grin. Then they were on the edge of the dance floor, Cloud still wearing his backpack. Zack gestured at the far wall but Cloud shook his head, yelling over the music, "I'll get tons of fees if I lose the books."

Zack was rolling his hips and working his shoulders now, dancing very casually to the beat—he managed to work in a shrug that looked so effortless. Cloud's robotic joints moved awkwardly at first but he managed to find something resembling what a few other people on the dance floor were doing. It made his backpack bounce against his back and Cloud knew he'd have a couple bruises from where Cait Sith's joints poked into his back but  _fuck it_ —it wasn't every day he got to hang out with Zack Fair.

"You look nice in civilian clothes," Zack said. Cloud understood this in a mixture of actually hearing the words and lip-reading. "Aren't you hot though?"

Zack reached out and his fingers played with the zipper at Cloud's collar. His sleeveless shirt had a zipper that went down to his sternum. "...A little," Cloud said, and with the most seductive grin anyone had ever flashed Cloud Strife Zack inched down his zipper bit by bit, revealing a few inches of sweaty collarbones and the upper part of Cloud's chest.

Cloud's hands came up and Zack captured them, pressing them over his beating heart. He spread Cloud's palms and fingers flat and moved them, his own hands covering Cloud's, to his shoulders and then encouraged Cloud to coast them down his arms: over the biceps, stopping briefly to squeeze, past the jut of the elbow, down the forearms and over the wrist…to his hands. Zack entwined their hands and moved Cloud's arms around, making the awkward teen dance more.

Cloud laughed, feeling…delighted, really—he was free in a way he'd never been in Nibelheim.

This was really fucking fun.

Cloud's  _jam_ came on next and he danced like a moron, all swinging arms and moving hips as he sang along—Zack laughed out loud, but kindly, and egged him on.

As much as Cloud wanted to stay all evening with Zack (and stay with him into the next morning too, if that's how this sort of thing worked—city people moved so  _fast)_ —he could not. The sulking cat in his bag had somewhere to be.

Cloud, wobbling a bit, reached out and pressed his hands to either side of Zack's face. Zack looked surprised, his eyes flicking from Cloud's mouth to his eyes. Cloud fought a smile; no, he wasn't about to kiss him, but Zack clearly thought he was. He drew Zack down, and Zack closed his eyes, but Cloud turned his head and spoke directly into Zack's ear instead.

"I've really gotta go. Thanks for everything, man—I had a lot of fun."

Zack pouted a bit as he stood back up, but he didn't press anything. "Yeah—me too. Wanna trade numbers so we can hang out again?"

They moved to the edge of the bar and they did so, Cloud squashing a gleeful feeling in his stomach. "See ya," he said, holding up an arm. Zack bumped their forearms together and saw him off with another wink and a two-fingered salute.

"Later, Spike."

Cloud pushed his way out of the bar, gulping down fresh air once he was out. He hadn't realized how hot it was in there. Most of the sun lamps were off now, simulating 'night time' – but there were still enough to make your way around. It took Cloud a moment to realize which way the businesses were that Cait Sith wanted to visit, and then he headed that way.

"There's no one around," Cloud said, "You can speak up. I can tell you want to."

The bag wiggled. He heard Cait Sith sigh. "…I suppose I can't complain when I'm hitching a free ride on your back, can I?"

"No," Cloud answered, "You can't."

Cloud felt like a major creep going into the tiny alley behind the weapons store ShinRa apparently had investments in. He wondered if they sold ShinRa weapons to the public or just to select people—he didn't actually care that much. He opened the bag with clumsy, drunk fingers and Cait popped out, his fur matted from being cooped up in there for so long and his crown askew.

"Har!" he barked a laugh when he saw Cloud. "You're  _still_ blushing,  _Spike_. Does that happen every time you drink or are you just that fond of Fair?"

Cloud scowled. "You know him?"

"Sure." Cait hopped up on top of the reeking dumpster. "I know all the Firsts and most of the Seconds."

Cloud lost his filter two drinks back, so he blurted, "Even Sephiroth?"

Cait looked over his shoulder, now hanging from the gutter on the roof of the building. "You fancy that bloke too?"

"Oh." Cloud stuck his hands in his pockets. "Pssh."

Cait laughed again, then pulled himself up and disappeared over the lip of the roof. Cloud could hear him though, light footsteps moving across the roof towards what he presumed was the AC unit.

After a minute or two where Cloud tried to look like he belonged in some dank alley Cait came back, a small device in his hand. He climbed into the bag and Cloud shouldered it again. This time Cait directed him to a materia shop. It was noticeably cleaner and better-lit than the other shops on the street, a few of which had sagging boards in place of windows or heaps of trash just beyond the doorstep.

The benefits of being connected to ShinRa, it seemed.

"Around to the side," Cait whispered from the bag. "No, the other side."

"How can you tell where we are so well? Aren't you all mixed up being in there?"

"I'm watchin' from one of the security cameras on the roof of the plate."

Cloud frowned. How was this little monster so well-connected? "…On a PHS or something?"

"In my head," was the answer.

Weird. Cloud went to the other side of the shop. It was at the end of the block and had no smelly, saggy shops on that side. Cloud opened up the bag and Cait scrambled up to the roof as he did before. When he was done they headed back towards the train, Cloud still pleasantly buzzed and enjoying the walk around.

It was so different beneath the plate from up above, and especially different from Nibelheim. It was so bizarre to look up and never see the sky.

"Cait Sith," Cloud said breezily, chattier than normal from the drinks, "It's kind of cool that you seem to care so much about the air quality. I get the feeling that most people at ShinRa couldn't care less about regular people, you know?"

"Aye," Cait replied. "Don't I know it. My department does what it can, but we get push-back every step o' the way."

" _Your_ department?"

Cait didn't answer. Cloud was another small step closer to putting this strange puzzle together.


	2. Chapter 2

For a few days life went back to normal—that is, a life without weird cats. Cloud dutifully attended all his drills and runs. He patrolled in the slums and stood guard outside important meetings as he always did. He saluted the right people and skipped the more inedible things from the cafeteria as any good infantryman would.

When he visited his usual spot by the roaring AC unit outside he couldn't help but be a little curious. He peeked in the vent once but there was no glint of a small golden crown hiding in there.

He was lying in bed one afternoon, listening absently to two of his bunkmates talking about how crappy their one drill instructor was, and thinking about Zack Fair. He had not seen the guy since their impromptu little…  _date?_  and while that may have been a cause for concern Cloud didn't feel too worried. Whatever his connection with Zack was, it felt easy. No rush. He was sure he'd see him again soon, even if it was another happenstance like last time.

Mm. Zack Fair. If Cloud had been alone, he'd slither a hand under his covers and grasp his cock, which was starting to get interested in all this thinking about the Second Class SOLDIER.

His PHS buzzed. Cloud rolled onto his stomach, fishing it out from under his bunk where it had fallen earlier.

_Cloud,_ a message from an unknown number said,  _It's Cait Sith. I need your help again, and you look free at the moment._

Cloud frowned. He rolled back onto his side, curling up. He was sore from his huge run earlier that day… resting was important, too. He replied:  **How do you know I'm free?**

_I'm watching you through the camera in the corner._

Cloud sat up in a hurry, turning his head this way and that. There it was, by the door to the room that housed ten infantry at once. They all thought it was just for show—because there were dozens of little bunkrooms like theirs, and who cared about what the infantry was up to, anyway? Not SOLDIER, and not the executive branch of ShinRa either, the people who actually called the shots.

His cheeks were hot—it was kind of…embarrassing. And  _creepy._ What if he  _had_ been jerking off, thinking about Zack?

**what the fuck** was his only response, sitting up and glaring at the camera.

_Sorry for the invasion of privacy. Come outside and I'll direct you from there._

Cloud pulled on a fresh shirt, having been lounging in his sweat-stained one from earlier, stuffed his feet in shoes and left. His free time was precious, honestly, and he didn't appreciate being summoned by Cait Sith like this.

_Go left down the hallway, and make your second right._

That was towards the newer wing of the Infantry's domain. While most Infantry things were pretty shitty, especially compared to the SOLDIER accommodations, it apparently had been exceptionally so and was renovated the year before Cloud arrived. A door separated the bunk area from this area, and Cloud stopped just before it.

_Check the potted plant._

Oh—Planet. There was a fancy fake potted plant in the corner, looking out of place among all the metal. Cloud looked around, and when the coast was clear rummaged around in the wide, plastic leaves. He came away with a small, blinking device.

**Now what,** he texted, annoyed.

_Cait Sith is inside the wall next to you. I would like you to slowly walk through the wing in front of you, keeping to the right side of the hall. Press the transponder to the wall briefly every couple dozen feet, if you would, please._

**Why?**

The response was a bit slow in coming, and Cloud stubbornly did not move his feet until he had it. He leant against the wall and felt a small tap from inside it. Okay, so Cait Sith was really in there.

_The new wing was built hastily with cheap materials. It's being proposed to use those same materials to build emergency housing for the poor in a few sectors below-plate. You can't see, but the walls are crumbling on the inside and bending slightly. It hasn't been long since it was renovated either. I'm measuring wall thickness and doing scans of the wall between you and I to get an idea of the degradation. They want hard proof that the walls are shitty._

Cloud blinked—oh, wow. He knew a lot of infantry were really proud of this new wing. It certainly looked nice. The lights glittered and there were a couple new gyms in here. Some of the top-ranking Infantry officers had offices here.

**Why me, though? Surely you've got people in your department or whatever who could do this.**

_Actually,_ came the response,  _I can't. While your ID will not allow you into many places in the Tower, executive branch IDs don't get us everywhere either. We are looked at with a great deal of mistrust from the Infantry. Not only are my associates unable to access this wing, they would be under heavy suspicion if they did manage to get in as well._

Cloud did not feel as strongly about this as some other Infantry, but some folks just  _hated_ SOLDIER and hated the fancy suit-wearing, briefcase-laden executives even more. He felt a rush of… pride in his people. Damn right they were keeping executives out.

Just not out of the walls, apparently.

He walked around, slowing whenever he got a message from Cait Sith to  _hold on a moment._ Occasionally he could hear small noises from inside of the wall but generally it was just him and the voices of whoever else was in the area. He passed a couple of his friends (Cloud was getting more of those, as, over time, he shook off the shitty attitude he'd had in Nibelheim and learned to be a better version of himself, even if he'd always stay kind of prickly and quiet). He kept pressing the transponder against the wall, travelling past a couple locker rooms for all the Lieutenants and then past the office of the Infantrywoman who smacked him around with a sword a few times a week (gulp).

And then, a couple doors down, he stopped short to let someone exit the doorway he was about to walk past.

"Oh—Cloud," the man said.

"…Damon," Cloud greeted.

Turns out there  _was_ a SOLDIER in the Infantry area today—a tall black man with many long, thin braids piled up on top of his head. He'd had a short afro the last time Cloud had seen him.

"Hey," Damon said, looking just as awkward as Cloud felt.

Cloud heard a small noise; Cait Sith had to scramble above doorframes into the ceiling above and then back down, and was probably settling into place.

If Damon Klarke was visiting the Infantry wing, that probably meant… "Getting things ready for the drop-off?" Cloud asked kindly. Every couple months a large group of Infantry would be dropped off in the wilderness and have to navigate their way to a certain point, working together or alone to traverse the land and protect themselves from monsters. Damon, being something of a survival expert in SOLDIER, helped oversee it every time. It was how they met—and hooked up in a cave during a rainstorm, actually, Cloud's first sexual experience ever, and started dating shortly after returning to civilization.

Damon nodded. His eyes were the most beautiful color—such a dark brown, but with a brilliant mako green glow underneath, like a cat's. They looked Cloud up and down, unreadable. Cloud certainly didn't look his best, wearing a t-shirt and shorts and shoes without socks since he'd left his bunk so quickly. "Yeah," he said, "Next week."

"Cool. I hope they do well."

"Mm."

Both still had fake smiles plastered to their faces. "Well," Cloud said, "Gotta go—see you around?"

"Sure thing."

Damon side-stepped him and Cloud continued down the hallway, tapping the transponder against the wall. He pulled out his PHS and sent a message to Cait Sith, since he could feel the awkwardness and curiosity coming from the wall.

**Ex boyfriend. Started dating him a month or two after I got here. Ended pretty badly. Sorry you had to hear that**

_You're okay?_ was the only response.

And that…touched Cloud, honestly. He hadn't really had anyone to talk about it with, as he hadn't had many friends when he and Damon dated, briefly as it was. As he walked, Cloud typed.

**Yeah, thanks. I was a really different person when I first got to ShinRa. I was kind of a dick honestly. He was the first person I'd dated and I didn't handle it well. Kinda sucks to get reminded of how I used to be whenever I see him**

_In my experience ShinRa changes people for the worse. It's impressive if you managed to improve yourself after getting here._

After a moment, Cloud got another text:  _Also, he's ridiculously cute. Good job, Strife._

Cloud laughed out loud. Was Cait Sith attempting to bond with him? He tapped the wall and felt a small tap back, like they had fist-bumped. It felt like talking to the cat and texting the cat was like talking to two different people, and that was weird, but he was starting to actually like communicating with this thing.

**I didn't realize you were a cat who was attracted to humans**

_Certain humans, I suppose_ was the response.

Cloud was instructed to hold on to the transponder until 'next time.' He returned to his bunk, eyed the camera in the corner, and told the guys who were in at the moment that he heard from a CO that the cameras actually worked. The guy in the corner on the bottom bunk dove for his container of rolled joints sitting out on a little end table.

After that, Cloud started texting Cait Sith fairly regularly.

Whenever Cloud saw cat-themed things through the windows of shops while on patrol he'd snap a picture and send it along: little stockings, paperweights, necklaces, even an odd pair of panties with  _pet this pussy_ on the waistband. Cait Sith replied to that one with  _Oh dear._

The whole thing was weird. Cloud was still not totally convinced Cait Sith wasn't some sort of terrorist-sent creature who was planning to take down ShinRa in one fell swoop and was aided by a dumbass Infantryman who couldn't tell that the little thing was full of shit. Cait Sith didn't  _seem_ bad though—he could hold conversations about President ShinRa and how much he sucked, and how the Turks' lurking made them both uncomfortable, and how Heidegger's laugh caused worse indigestion than most of the food around here.

Cait Sith even told him a bit about Sephiroth. He was not close, apparently, but they'd met several times, and Cait respected him. He said that Sephiroth actually  _doodled_ sometimes during long and boring meetings. Cloud spent days thinking about what kinds of things Sephiroth doodled.

It didn't take much prodding at all for Cloud to spill it all about his years-long crush on the man. He had posters on his walls back home, he had entire fleshed-out scenes of masturbatory material in his head (he didn't tell Cait  _that_ ) and the man was his inspiration for joining the military in the first place (he did share that bit, even if it was a bit embarrassing).

_What about Zack Fair?_

**I'd date him too, if he's into that. Him or Sephiroth, that's the goal.**

_It's good to have dreams, as Angeal Hewley would say._

**Fuck you** Cloud answered, laughing out loud on his lonely 2 a.m. patrol outside Rufus ShinRa's private residence. He then clapped a hand over his mouth, hoping he hadn't woken the irate vice-president.

**Are there any crown-wearing cats in your life?**  Cloud asked.

_Alas, Cait Sith is one of a kind. Laddie. :)_

**Sounds lonely**

_ShinRa can be a lonely place._

A minute later:  _It's why I am so pleasantly surprised to have made a friend in the Infantry. I didn't expect to still be talking to you after that first or second time you helped me._

**You found someone in the Infantry stupid enough to believe what you say and to help you infiltrate the building, you mean**

_Something like that. Haha._

It was a Wednesday evening when, sore and battered, Cloud trekked through the lobby of ShinRa Tower back to his dorm, planning on taking a long-ass nap. He'd had to break up a bar fight in Sector 5; his hand was still sore from where he'd had to beat a man over the head with his orange baton. That guy's head must have been much worse.

He passed a mustached man in a blue suit who gave him an odd look. He was frowning at Cloud, staring at him out of the corner of his eyes.

Fucking rude, Cloud thought—yeah, he had a little blood on him that wasn't his own and his green scarf had a substantial rip, but he was hardly anything to gawk at. This building saw worse all the time.

He entered the elevator, the best one hidden in the back of the showroom, and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes as other people filed in.

Someone tugged on one of his spikes. "Hey, it's you."

Cloud's eyes blinked open.  _Zack Fair,_ his brain registered, and then it stopped thinking entirely, as right behind Zack Fair and eyeing him curiously was the one guy he'd like to see even less while covered in someone else's blood and with a ripped green scarf. Sephiroth's eyes slid over him lazily without much interest.

"Zack," Cloud choked, "Uh, hey. And—hello, Sephiroth, Sir."  _Fuck._ "Sorry I'm—y'know, gross, Zack."

"Aw, pssh." Zack waved a hand at him. "It happens, dude! Interesting patrol tonight?"

Cloud's mouth moved on autopilot. "Yeah. Bar fight. Wishin' I coulda hadda drink affer breakin' that up."

His accent was coming out, which happened when he was nervous. Zack looked delighted. "Well," he said, winking, which made the side of Sephiroth's mouth quirk up in fond exasperation, "I'll treat you to some drinks again soon, yeah? Maybe to a different place this time—I know a place you'd love."

There were three other people in the elevator who were probably listening. Cloud swallowed. "Good idea," he said, which made Zack cover his mouth and laugh softly, repeating him: " _Good ideer."_

Nibelheim.

And Sephiroth was just so gorgeous in person. Tall, soft-looking hair, bright green eyes, shapely lips, textured pauldrons showing off lots of battles.  _Hot_.

The Infantry floors were pretty low down; the more important you got, the higher up you were. Cloud got off the elevator before everyone else, bidding his two crushes goodbye.

"Nice to meet you, Cloud," Sephiroth said, in a voice that could have melted butter, that could have made a dead flower bloom, that could have cleared someone's skin, that could have—

Cloud nodded at Sephiroth, cool as anything, and returned Zack's signature two-finger wave with one of his own. He strode out, confident despite being covered in blood, and as soon as the elevator doors closed behind him speed-walked back to his dorm, changed his clothes, and flung himself on the bed.

**Holy shit,** he messaged Cait Sith, because he had to tell  _somebody, somecat,_ about this,  **I just met Sephiroth in person.**

_He was a couple feet behind you and you didn't notice him,_ was the answer.  _I saw._

Watching the cameras again like a creep. Cloud shook his head, grinning.

* * *

Cloud's next major mission that wasn't a simple escort or a particularly interesting guard post was a trip to the mako reactor outside Gongaga. According to reports, monster activity was up and local civilian accidents were as well. A bad combination.

He told Cait Sith about it and the cat wished him well. His usual patrols were given to other people and he bade his bunkmates goodbye for a few days.

The usual ShinRa transports made him sick as a malboro so he visited the infirmary beforehand this time and got some anti-nausea medication for the trip. That meant that Cloud was actually able to function on the trip there. He set his large pack down in the bed of the main truck with everyone else's and settled in for the long haul.

Several hours into the trip, hours spent dozing and occasionally chatting with the two other Infantry and the SOLDIER Second they were accompanying, Cloud got a message.

_Check your bag,_ it said.

…Wonderful. Cloud acted like he was going to be sick and was rooting through his pack for a bag—instead he opened his zipper and frowned into a furry feline face.

"What are you doing here?" Cloud hissed.

Cait Sith waved with a cartoonish white-gloved paw. "I've got business in the reactor," he whispered, chipper as always, "And I figured hitching a ride with you was the easiest way ta get there!"

The blond grunted, "Don't get me in trouble," and zipped it back shut, cutting off whatever Cait tried to say. Then, after a pause, he unzipped it a bit so the thing could breathe.

The remaining hours of the first leg of the trip weren't restful at all—Cloud was anxious that Cait would do something stupid and get them found out, or that one of his squadmates would root through his bag for something and find a chatty caped cat instead. They stopped at a small inn at a travelers' rest stop; there was a gas station with a tiny convenience store and the row of tiny bedrooms in a building just off the road.

The SOLDIER Second and the highest-ranking Infantry officer took one bedroom; Cloud, the driver, and the other member of the Infantry took the second bedroom.

There was very little opportunity for Cait Sith to romp about. Cloud dragged his pack into the bathroom when it was his turn to shower and released him. Cait was sleeping, his arms stiffly at his sides. He did not seem to be breathing.

"…Cait Sith?" Cloud asked, hesitantly touching a red-caped shoulder.

Cait's eyes opened all at once and his stiff muscles relaxed. His chest heaved with a breath—it was as if he was powering on. Weird.

"Laddie," Cait Sith greeted, looking around. "I figured we'd take a break on our way t' Gongaga."

Cloud, on his knees on hard, grimy bathroom tile, sighed. "Yeah, we are. I have to shower. They're right outside, so you can't leave, sorry."

"Cait Sith will be fine," Cait said, and stretched his arms and legs before hopping up onto the sink counter.

"Do you need… food or something? I have some protein bars in my bag."

Cait shook his head, his crown wobbling. "Cait Sith ate a large meal before sneaking aboard the truck."

As Cloud stripped off his shirt, he looked at Cait sitting there on the counter opposite the shower and realized just how ridiculous this situation was. Texting Cait so much recently—and having the cat respond like a real human—must have made him forget, a bit, just how bizarre Cait was. Cait swung his legs along to a rhythm Cloud couldn't hear, and he smiled as always, his feline eyes almost shut from how hard that grin was.

"Soap? Water?"

Cait Sith shook his head. "Don't you know cats hate water, blondie?"

"You're about as far from a normal cat as I am. Just thought I'd ask."

"Just take your shower already."

Cloud huffed a quiet laugh. He'd showered in front of other Infantry enough times that it didn't bother him and he'd gotten past any initial embarrassment in his body—in fact, he'd grown to love the way he could build muscle on top of a frame that was skinnier than most. As he aged his shoulders grew broader and stockier. Cloud knew he was hot. But… it was still weird getting naked in front of something that wasn't human, and who was now staring at him like he was a science experiment.

He got in and relaxed slightly once he pulled the shower curtain across, obscuring him from view.

Cait was in the same spot when he emerged from the shower, still swinging his feet and tapping his gloved humanoid hands. Cloud, wrapping a towel around himself, walked over to him.

"There's condensation on your crown," Cloud said. He reached out and dragged a thumb over it, leaving a wet finger smear. "Is that real gold?"

"'Course not—do ya think Cait Sith is made of money?"

"Well kind of,  _yeah_ ," Cloud protested, drying himself off and climbing into his sleep clothes he'd packed, "You're apparently pretty high up on the ShinRa food chain. You definitely make more money than me. A  _cat_."

"Cait Sith will buy ya a nice dinner in Midgar if it means that much to ya."

Cloud vowed to pick the most expensive place he could find. He deserved it after doing all this shit for him. "It's a date," he said, and once he was all washed up he held open his backpack. "Back in."

"Sleep well, laddie," Cait said, and hopped inside.

According to the SOLDIER Second on the mission, a man named Ronald, Gongaga's reactor was not the only one experiencing increased monster activity in the surrounding area. He didn't mention Nibelheim but Cloud couldn't help but wonder. He hoped his mom was alright. Her recent letters had not mentioned anything about monsters.

Their mission was pretty simple: stay close to the reactor for a few days and eliminate the monster hordes. Investigate the reactor and dispose of anything that had managed to infiltrate. The reactor staff, scientists and experts who lived nearby and responded to small needed repairs or hands-on processing that needed to be done, had been overwhelmed by it and were reporting noises from the depths of the reactor.

Done and done.

Their transport finally rolled to a stop outside the reactor. It was not quite as big as the Nibelheim one (Cloud had always been instructed to stay away from it, so naturally he'd investigated several times). Unfortunately Cloud's anti-nausea medication had worn off an hour ago, and when the truck stopped he staggered out and dropped to his knees in the grass. Nothing came up but  _ugh,_ he felt like shit.

"Strife!" his Infantry friend called; she tossed him his rifle from the bed of the truck. Cloud's training kicked in automatically—he caught it, fought back the nausea, and in the next moment was shooting cover fire for Ronald, the SOLDIER, who rushed towards the Bagnadranas and Kimara Bugs attempting to ambush them.

The Bugs exploded into nasty, juicy chunks as Cloud's well-placed rifle shots punched through them. One of the other Infantry cast a low-leveled Blizzard, freezing a couple monsters; Cloud's shots made them shatter into icy pieces.

When the last Bagnadrana fell they regrouped. Their driver, an Infantryman not trained in combat as much as the others, already had a Cure materia out in case anyone needed it.

"Phew," breathed Ronald, sheathing his sword. "Everyone accounted for? Injuries?"

"None," said the driver, after looking everyone over. "You good, Strife?"

"Yeah. Shocked the nausea right outta me."

"We've been welcomed to Gongaga," Ronald muttered.

They grabbed their stuff and set up a small base camp right outside the reactor, using crates from inside as a barricade and cover with the help of the two scientists inside who were assigned to the reactor that day. Cloud peeked in his pack, but in the kerfluffle from before Cait Sith managed to sneak off. He glanced at the reactor—his small friend (?) was in there somewhere, doing Gaia-knew-what.

For the most part Cloud's party was able to dig in their heels, set up the right defenses, and let the monsters come to them. The waves were small, but they kept coming—creatures frothing green from their mouths, or attacking each other just as often as they attacked them.

It was none of their jobs to speculate why this was happening, just to follow orders, but they guessed anyway.

The Infantrywoman at Cloud's right, who had been in his very first rifles class, a tall girl named Maya, frowned and said, "I didn't think mako was able to make monsters do this."

"We don't know for sure it's mako," Ronald countered, sweating as he cast Fira at the closest rampaging Bagnadrana. "Though it's likely, if this is only happening at reactors."

"Maybe someone is doing something to the reactors to cause this and it wouldn't happen otherwise."

"Four o'clock, Maya," Cloud called, and she turned and emptied a cartridge into the next wave.

Regardless of how it was happening they tried their best to deal with the results. The two scientists on duty dug through the stores in the small staff area inside the reactor and came back with some ethers and elixirs which they handed over.

When no more monsters would come to them they split up, Cloud and Maya one way and Ronald and the other Infantryman to the other, and reconvened around the back. Their driver putted off to Gongaga itself to check on any stray monsters that were in the town—he'd be able to handle that on his own.

It felt good being able to help out. As Cloud beat a monster to death with his baton, the creature having gotten too close to aim at quickly with his rifle, he felt rather proud—he'd come a long way. Maybe someday soon he'd be able to defend Nibelheim (or at least his mom and Tifa) from an attack like this and feel just as capable, SOLDIER yet or no.

Around sundown they moved inside the reactor. For an hour there had been no monster sightings at all; the rest were either sleeping, retreated, or were particularly good at lying in wait.

The inside of the reactor was like a different world—it was so big and vast. The sounds of mako dripping into vats or being processed beneath the surface echoed off of the metal walls and various walkways. Most lights were reddish in hue and provided just enough light so you wouldn't trip; the mako's natural greenish glow illuminated most things, casting dark and creepy shadows over the rest.

There were lots of places for monsters to hide, honestly.

One of the scientists came forward with some rations she heated in the small staff area. It wasn't a particularly special meal—the stew with potatoes pack, which wasn't even Cloud's favorite of all the pre-packaged ration meals—but it was  _warm_  from a real microwave and he dug in, suddenly ravenous.

They investigated where odd sounds had been reported, several floors down. The ladders and metal walkways seemed endless. Cloud's boots echoed so loudly on the stairs; discordant echoes came back to him and were swallowed up by the giant pools of mako.

They found a few Gagighandis lurking near the heart of the reactor, crazed and dripping greenish liquid from their jowls. Bombs waited a few levels above, swooping down from the darkness above trying to surprise them. Luckily they managed to take them all out before any got too huge and exploded (collateral damage was dangerous in a place like this).

When it looked like they'd gotten everything that was willing to show itself the five ShinRa operatives hunkered down in the tiny area where the scientists would stay for an overnight shift. There were a few cots, but the two scientists already here obviously got those first. The Infantry were used to sleeping on the floor, honestly—wherever they went, SOLDIERs got the comfier digs. So, Cloud washed up the best he could in a tiny bathroom and laid down on the floor with his uniform bunched up under his head. He bade the others goodnight and fell asleep, sore and exhausted.

In the middle of the night, someone tapped his nose. Cloud scrunched it up and rolled over. They tapped his back.

Groggily, Cloud opened his eyes and turned—he blinked awake at the furry face inches from his own.

"Blondie," Cait whispered, gesturing with his hand, "C'mere, lad, I've got a mission for ya."

Everyone else was very much asleep; it was pitch black except for the glow of an exit sign by the door and some green creeping in under the door. It was locked securely to protect them from any monsters that may still have roamed about.

Cloud was in his t-shirt and shorts; he staggered up, grabbing his baton and PHS on the way, and quietly padded out of the room after Cait. The cat knew a passcode to quietly unlock the door, which impressed Cloud.

The reactor seemed larger and more intimidating without his comrades nearby. They crept across a metal grated walkway, just an inch of metal and two thin railings keeping them from falling into a vat of mako.

"Where are we going?" Cloud whispered.

"There's a special room that will give me some diagnostics," Cait answered, "But I need you to come with me. Cait Sith isn't much of a fighter!"

"So I'm your bodyguard."

"Aye. I couldn't be in better hands, laddie."

Cloud rolled his eyes. He followed Cait down a staircase, eyes peeled for monsters, and they turned left down a hall. "It's a dead end," Cloud said, remembering going this way with the others earlier. It was just an observation deck for the vat, stretching around the side.

Cait didn't answer. Almost at the end of the walkway he raised a hand and tapped the wall. A small, hidden panel slid to the side, revealing a keypad. Cait Sith had to jump several times to reach it, but he punched in a passcode. He was standing rather weirdly; he looked unstable on his feet. Was he okay? More of the wall slid away, a small doorway.

"I know the man who designed the reactors quite well," Cait said, sounding proud of himself as he led Cloud through the door. It sealed behind them. Now they were on a wide ledge, still over the vat—in fact, Cloud could see the main walkways a distance away. This was visible from over there, they just hadn't thought to look over here. The floor was maybe fifteen feet across, and solid concrete, not a rough grate like before. A small computer terminal sat in the corner, and as Cait turned it on Cloud inspected the small area. The computer was all there was to it.

Gripping his baton, he peered in all the dark corners. No monsters in sight. He relaxed, wandering back over to Cait. "What are you doing?"

Cait had a drive in one hand that he plugged via a cord into the terminal. "The computer keeps logs of any irregularities," the cat explained, "Doors openin' at times they shouldn't, computers bein' accessed while people're off-duty, that kinda thing. It also logs the pH and composition of the mako. If these monsters are losin' it because they're fallin in or drinking little bits of the mako we should be able to tell." He put the drive down and sighed. "At least forty-five minutes for the download, laddie."

"I could be asleep," Cloud grumbled, but he gamely sat down against the wall to wait.

Cait did not join him, standing about ten feet away, closer to the railing and the long drop down into the mako. He just stood there, his arms swaying and head bopping to whatever music he always had running through his head.

"Don't just stand there," Cloud said, eyeing him. "It's gonna be a long forty-five minutes if you stand over there like a creep."

Cait Sith only moved a few inches forward, but he did sit down. His big pointy shoes looked ridiculous like this, honestly.

The little dude always had something to talk about; Cloud waited for him to start a conversation. Cloud wasn't the best at that sort of thing anyway. When Cait eventually did talk, he spoke softly as if to himself, "Aye, it's late. What am I doing?" Then, a minute later: "Cloud. Tell me about Zack Fair."

Cloud doubted he'd ever been called by his name before, and that was weird, but the request was weirder. "Um, Zack?"

"What d'ya like about him? Tryin' ta get a sense of your type, laddie."

"My type," Cloud repeated, with a small laugh. "Um. He's just really, er, magnetic, I guess. It's hard not to like him."

"He's rather funny, inne?"

"Yeah, he is. We had a mission together and he made me laugh a lot on it and he didn't even know me. He's… genuine, it feels like."

"Genuine, hmmm."

Cloud had to clarify: "Sort of. Well—I can tell that he's got this like, persona, of being funny and friendly and strong for the people around him, and that's also how he really is, you know? Just maybe… not as much."

"You're a perceptive one."

Cloud shrugged. "I might be reading him all wrong, but that's alright. I still like him."

"So… tall, dark, handsome?"

Cloud chuckled under his breath. What the fuck even was this conversation? "Uh, I guess. He's… really hot, yeah, that helps. I've only ever been with someone who was taller than I am, but I liked that." Then he paused, eyeing the cat, and couldn't help but add: "So sorry, Cait. You've got the dark and handsome down but you come up to my thigh somewhere."

"Ooh, drat! Alas, I wanted some o' that Strife for myself."

Pffffft. Cloud loved the joke. Cait added, "So is that SOLDIER ya met the other week youer only previous partner, or…?"

As Cloud thought over his response, Cait burped. His chest didn't bubble up or anything though—it sounded like it came from somewhere in his head. "Pardon me," Cait then said, mouth opening to speak. "Yeah," Cloud confirmed. "Just him. Haven't been with anybody since."

"You must be pretty frustrated, then."

Cloud eyed Cait Sith oddly. "…I guess."

"Do you only like men?"

Hmmm. That was a tricky question. "Nah, I don't think so," Cloud said, stretching out his legs and folding one over the other. "I used to have a crush on Tifa, a girl from my hometown. I think that, romantically, I could be into anybody of any gender so long as they were nice to me and we got along."

Cait prompted, "But sexually…"

What a bizarre word to hear from a caped, crowned, fuzzy little humanoid cat. Cloud closed his eyes. He pictured a pair of breasts—no one's in particular, just two of them, and fondling them. He thought abstractly about fucking someone's pussy, of grabbing their hips and bouncing them on his dick and rubbing a clit with his thumb as he tilted his head back for kisses, soft and sticky. He thought about strong arms lifting his up or pushing back his knees and then a dick stretching open his ass—he'd  _loved_ taking cock back when he dated Damon. He thought about fucking someone with a penis in the ass—he'd liked that too. Would it be all that different fucking someone with different genitals in the ass? He didn't know—maybe he'd find out some day.

He shifted in his seat, his cock hardening between his legs despite himself. Cloud cleared his throat, opening his eyes and focusing on Cait. "I really can't say. My instinct is to say that I only wanna sleep with people who identify as guys, but… who knows. It feels wrong to rule out so many people without ever having been with a girl, you know?"

"You're open-minded," Cait observed. "That is a good trait to have."

"Hm," Cloud grunted, shifting again, trying to discreetly get his short fabric to stop pressing against his dick.

But Cait kept asking questions: "What about Sephiroth, then?"

Cloud's voice went up a couple notes unconsciously: "What I like about him?"

"Aye."

"Uhhh… I, well, I don't know him like I know Zack, so it's all speculation. But it seems like people always say he's, y'know, scary and doesn't talk, and is just, untouchable and all—but he's got to be different from that."

"Why d'you think so?"

"Because he's friends with Zack," Cloud said, shrugging. "And he's friends with Genesis Rhapsodos and Angeal Hewley. And a lot of SOLDIERs look up to him—I don't think you can inspire that many people just by being intimidating. There's got to be more to him that they genuinely like."

Cait Sith grinned. "You've got a mighty crush, but it's cute, laddie."

"Whatever," Cloud grunted.

"And he's awfully attractive, ain't he…?"

It was the middle of the damn night and Cloud was in a mako reactor—maybe some of his usual shields were down, back in the staff area with his physical armor. Cait had opened the floodgates. "Oh, hell yeah," Cloud blurted. "Gaia, I've been into him ever since I first saw him. There isn't anyone alive who looks like Sephiroth."

When Cait spoke next, he seemed to slur his words a bit. "Ssso… what d'you like about Sephiroth, specifically?"

"I mean, his face and stuff, of course." Cloud had never been particularly eloquent. "He has these silly big ears and," he mimed pulling down on Sephiroth's earlobes, frustrated with how the right poetic words wouldn't come to him, "I don't know, with his hair and everything, it's just—ugh."

Cait was sitting so still, just staring at him. Cloud supposed it made sense that a cat wouldn't have the best grasp of what was polite or not to humans.

"I've heard he's a good kisser," Cait said.

Heat shot into Cloud's cheeks at  _that_ thought. His chest heaved with a large breath; that would have to be…explored later. Sephiroth seemed like the kind of guy to like having a hand on his cheek—that was how Cloud liked to kiss, lovingly cupping his partner's cheek to guide them if possible but mostly just to keep them close. He liked closeness. And closeness with Sephiroth… would be an experience, with all that hair, and his height, and eyes that glowed brightly in pictures and undoubtedly did even more in person…

Cait offered, "And Zack too."

His cheeks blazing, Cloud eyed Cait Sith hesitantly. "Um…" he said, trying to articulate his question. Why was Cait trying to make him… think about this stuff? It wasn't  _subtle_ anymore—he was working Cloud up, but why?

Cait Sith seemed to realize the jig was up; Cloud had caught on. He had very little shame, and said, still smiling and sitting still, the accent suddenly gone, "I'd like it if you touched yourself."

"…What?" Cloud asked, his breath hitching. He'd heard the cat clearly.

"You certainly look like ya want to." Cait Sith's head tilted. "Don't you?"

Well, obviously Cloud wanted to. He was almost hard, first thinking about fucking people, and then Zack, and then Sephiroth, and now it was all running together in his head, thoughts of fucking Zack and Sephiroth or  _both_ and Cait just kept staring at him and it was really, really, really bizarre.

"Go on, Cloud." Cait Sith's voice was a little deeper and the accent was still much weaker, almost like someone else entirely was talking to him.

Despite himself, Cloud's hand drifted to his crotch. He rested his hand over the bulge of his partial erection, fairly obvious in the flimsy shorts he wore, and hesitantly gave a little squeeze, stimulating just a little bit. "Are you getting off on this?"

"Cait Sith is not," was the cryptic answer. No more information was forthcoming.

Cloud squeezed his dick a little more and moved his hand slightly, loosely fondling himself now, not really committing to anything but gripping a little more firmly.

If Cloud had been in Midgar maybe this would have been too much—but he wasn't, he was far away, and he was in a mako reactor with its green glow, and everything looked alien and unreal anyway, and it was that middle of the night hour where everything that happened in the day seemed far off and like another world. It was the perfect situation to say  _fuck it_ and jerk off for a cat wearing a crown.

Cait Sith didn't get Cloud off at all—not even the tiniest bit imaginable. He closed his eyes and waited for Cait Sith to get it.

He quickly did: "You should take off your shorts; I can't see you like this."

There were two things to do—comply, or start laughing hysterically. Cloud kicked off his boots and then his shorts, sitting down on them so his ass wasn't on rough, cold concrete. He pulled down his underwear so they hung off of one ankle and then brought his knees up, his half-hard cock and balls hanging down, now on full display.

Cait Sith said nothing, but seemed to realize Cloud needed a bit of motivation. "So…" he began, "Do ya prefer giving anal or getting it?"

Cloud bit back a laugh at Cait Sith saying the word  _anal_. "Getting it," he said, licking a spitty stripe down his palm and wrapping his hand around his cock. He stroked it slowly, trying to get it into full hardness. "But I love giving it too… I think I'm into whatever my partner is into, really—it doesn't matter to me."

If Sephiroth wanted to bend him over his desk in his office and fuck his ass, Cloud would be okay with that. Oh, hell yeah Cloud would be okay. People talked about it all the time—the common Sephiroth fantasies or whatever. Desk sex was way high up there. Cloud had thought about being bent over it with his chest on the wood and his legs hanging down (surely Sephiroth was tall enough for his dick to line up with Cloud's asshole) or even lying on his back with his knees over Sephiroth's shoulders. He preferred that one.

Cloud hummed in the back of this throat as he pictured that. Sephiroth would plant his hands down flat on the desk and hunch over him, his hair hanging down around Cloud and his bright eyes illuminating the little cavern they'd created between them.

He was erect now, and rubbing his thumb over the head of his cock, teasing the slit gently. His hands were a lot more callused than they used to be before joining the military, and he was gentle. He didn't dare open his eyes to see what Cait Sith was doing; seeing the little dude sitting there and staring would be so awkward he'd have to stop.

If Sephiroth wanted Cloud to give it to him though… he totally could. Cloud liked doggy style—he liked to see his partner's ass jiggle as his bony hipbones smacked into them as he thrust inside. It made his thighs shake and his hands tremble and he would be exhausted by the end of it but he loved it, he had loved watching his cock sink into Damon's ass and could only assume it would be just as awesome with Sephiroth or Zack, maybe even more so.

The thing was, with Sephiroth's big leather coat Cloud couldn't really comment on his ass, but he knew for a fact Zack had a rockin' one. Zack's ass would be really satisfying to fuck; he could grab great handfuls of it and hold on as he rutted against him, and he could gently smack those cheeks and feel the flesh bounce under the crack of his palm. He could spread those cheeks wide and  _devour_ him—Damon hadn't been too into being rimmed but Cloud had done it a few times and had a lot of fun.

Cloud spat on his hand again, making it easier to work his palm from the base of his cock to the tip. He reached down to play with his balls with the other hand. Some people really loved the sensation and he liked it okay, but it wasn't his favorite. It made him feel deliciously dirty when they were gently sucked into someone's mouth.

"…Hmmm," Cloud sighed. He closed his eyes a little tighter, focusing just on the sensations he gave himself, the sound of his own breathing, and the steady, faint sounds of mako sloshing around and bubbling dozens and dozens of meters below. Breathing out through his nose, he tilted his head back until it rested against the wall. The heat was in his cheeks and his core, building and spreading outward…

…And then Cait Sith interrupted him. "Clouddie," he said, and it was a weird mix of  _Cloud_ and  _Laddie_ that Cloud suddenly realized he detested, "Would you use your fingers…?"

Instead of answering, Cloud stuck his ring and pinky fingers in his mouth, drooling on them and getting them nice and spitty. He spread his legs a little more and shifted how he was sitting on his tailbone, sliding down the wall a bit until he had access to his asshole. He swirled the spitty digits around the outside of his hole and then slowly pushed them in, still stroking his cock with his other hand.

Cait Sith made a noise like a great deep inhale, but his mouth wasn't open and his furry chest didn't heave. Cloud didn't stop to ponder it. He wiggled his fingertips around inside himself a bit, then removed them and stuck his pointer and middle fingers in his mouth. These went inside easier than the last two, since he wasn't totally dry. He sank these in much farther—and although he couldn't straight up fuck himself with them (spit was  _not_ an adequate lube no matter what some of his buddies insisted) the stretch of them just sitting there was nice, and he could move them side-to-side or slightly curl them.

It felt good—and Cloud never lasted very long once something went up his ass. It made him horny as fuck. His dick throbbed in his hand and he squeezed it, pausing to spit on his hand again before jerking himself again.

He couldn't help but put on a bit of a show, even though this was totally different from performing for, say, Zack.  _Ooh,_ that was good—imagining that it was Zack Fair standing a couple feet away, asking him to finger his ass as he worked his cock, watching with hot mako-blue eyes. Zack wanted Cloud to get off by himself, and then he was going to fuck the spent teen afterwards, that was it; he planned to fuck Cloud all the way through his refraction period, until he was hard again and came a second time—and  _then_ Zack would unload in his ass, tanned skin and hips flexing as he did so.

Whining quietly in the back of his throat, Cloud stopped to spit on his hand twice and hopefully for the last time. He worked his cock quicker, his brain picturing Zack Fair's cock bucking inside him and filling him up with cum over and over on loop. His toes curled and his thighs trembled—his orgasm moved inwards from the very ends of Cloud until it all crashed together in his core and at his cock. Cloud bit his lip, shaking through it, shooting off, cum dribbling down his hand and his shaft to pool on the concrete and stain the shorts he was sitting on.

He waited a long few moments to slowly work his cock until the sensations were too much, and then his hand fell away. He opened his eyes. Cait Sith still stood there, stock still, like a mannequin—but Cloud could hear ragged breathing coming from him.

Cloud wasn't sure what to say, and Cait Sith offered nothing other than a particularly sharp gasp made somehow without a single motion from the cat, and then silence.

"Well," Cloud sighed when he felt too awkward to say nothing, his soft cock drooping down between his legs now. "That happened."

Cait Sith moved jerkily and his small chest suddenly inflated with a breath. "Aye!" he said. "You know Laddie—"

Cloud did not find out  _what, Laddie._ Cait was cut off by a screech—a Fly Eye launched itself from above, dive-bombing at Cait. The cat jumped to the side, but was caught in one of its large, powerful wings and thrown at the opposite wall.

Cloud dive-rolled, taking his shorts and baton with him. He got into them as Cait hit the ground from the wall, landing with a huge  _smack_ and several  _cracks_.

The beating of its wings sent everything astray; Cloud saw his PHS blow around, skidding towards the vat of mako, but he couldn't focus on it—the Fly Eye picked Cait up with its feet, large silver talons often coated in the poison they shot out. It was a gigantic eyeball with wings, but they were fast—it threw Cait at the wall again and he hit much harder than before, a small ragdoll of fur, cape and crown that—

—broke into pieces when he collided with the wall.

Broke. Into pieces.

Cait's head rolled off to the side, and wiring and computer chips spilled out of the torn neck, Cait's face now slack and expressionless. The Fly Eye was as confused as Cloud; the small creature it was preparing to eat did not look nearly as appealing as it did a moment ago.

Cloud's initial horror turned to anger—it morphed further into rage as he heard a small, damaged speaker stutter inside Cait's chest. "Ah, shit," came a voice, and if they said anything else Cloud didn't hear it, because he kicked the robot's body with his hastily shoved-on boot and sent it sailing through the gaps of the railing and down the long, long drop into the mako below.

The Fly Eye came for him, but Cloud wound up with his baton and hit it like a baseball; it went flying back and then flew up towards the roof of the reactor, flying erratically with one crumpled wing.

Cloud was fucking livid. His PHS was gone; he'd seen it fall down into the vat. He yanked Cait's small computer from the terminal, not caring if the download was completed or not, and shrugged his shirt back on, stomping back out the small hidden door.

No one noticed his absence and Cloud got back in his sleeping bag, glowering at the small device in his hand, his face burning with anger and embarrassment.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just the epilogue left! (Zack makes his return, and Cloud finally gets to interact with Sephiroth.) Thanks for reading.

At the end of a long two-day journey back to Midgar Cloud was feeling even more ashamed of himself than he did at first. After running all of his interactions with Cait through his mind and focusing on all the details Cait dropped along the way Cloud felt it was fairly obvious that Cait Sith was a vehicle through which someone high up in ShinRa acted.

The big thing: Cait Sith apparently sat in on board meetings and was highly-respected in the company?  _Really_? A cat with a crown and a cape?

Obviously there had been holes in the story.

The worst thing about it, Cloud thought as they all made their way in the back of the Tower and took an elevator to their respective floors, bidding each other goodbye, was that Cloud had no idea who the real human controlling Cait Sith was. It made his skin crawl—it made him feel gross and violated.

He and the other Infantry went to their COs. Cloud and Maya had the same one—they reported in turns, first Maya and then Cloud. He spoke about the success of the mission, was told he would get written comments from the SOLDIER in charge, Ronald, in the next few days, and then was dismissed.

"Oh—Strife, wait," said his CO, opening a drawer at her desk. "Reeve Tuesti wanted me to give this to you. Said your PHS got destroyed during the mission?"

Cloud accepted it, surprised. It was the newest model, and much much nicer than whatever he was going to get if he went to requisitions a couple floors down, which had been his next destination. "Reeve Tuesti?" he asked.

"The head of the Department of Urban Housing and Development. Said he happened to be checking the reactor security cams and saw it break?"

Hadn't Cait Sith mentioned that department once or twice…?

_Ah._

"Thank you, Ma'am," Cloud said. He saluted and went on his way, unboxing the PHS, powering it on and going through the opening settings as he wandered back to his dorm. His brain worked so slowly; he felt kind of numb.

Cloud sat on his bed and stared at his boots—they were all muddy from the mission, and he'd have to clean them before the next room and uniform inspection. One of his buddies was home, and he woke up from a crash nap long enough to nod at Cloud and grunt something unintelligible before going back to sleep.

The back of Cloud's neck prickled. Slowly, he turned to look at the button camera Cait Sith had watched from—or rather, the human behind Cait Sith, likely this Reeve Tuesti. …Ugh.

He dropped off his pack and his crap but instead of resting, which he desperately wanted to do, he strolled back out of his dorm. His usual spot outside was obviously no good, but there was one spot that was great for anybody looking to disappear; the Infantry cafeteria was always such a shitshow that he'd be one blond head in a sea of other indiscernible heads (provided those cameras weren't, like, amazing. You never knew with ShinRa).

Cloud wasn't super hungry but he grabbed some food anyway, sitting down in the middle of a table full of people and hopefully disappearing in it. Instead of touching his plate he pulled up the internet on his new PHS and bent over it.

Reeve Tuesti.

Most information about ShinRa personnel was highly classified and kept from the public. Although it acted very far from your average business they still made the attempt to appear like a regular electric company in a few ways. On their website they had smiling portraits of some top officials. Reeve Tuesti had one, and he was a handsome young-ish man with pale skin, dark brown hair and a short beard, probably just over thirty. It came complete with an optimistic paragraph about his experience (so he  _did_ in fact design the mako reactors) and his goals as Head of Urban Development at ShinRa—namely, to improve life for the people of Midgar by providing more people with 'affordable and accessible housing' and 'improving cleanliness and holding Midgar to a higher standard.'

It was all kind of gross. Cloud's feelings about him were complicated. On the one hand, Reeve was a nasty creep for deceiving Cloud and asking him to jerk off, and on the other, he—or Cait Sith—had seemed like one of the few people around here (like Zack Fair!) who genuinely tried to do good things for someone who wasn't themselves.

Cloud laid low for the evening, away from obvious cameras, sulking. He'd realized that losing his old PHS had meant losing Zack's number.

What if Zack was texting him right now, wanting to hang out? Wanting to  _fuck_? He probably thought Cloud was some kind of asshole. Cloud had a new number now.

The unfortunate thing was that if your mission got you back before a certain hour of the day you still had to do all your regular duties the next day, and thankfully Cloud's company arrived in Midgar an hour after the cut-off. He had the next day off to recuperate before going back to drills and patrols.

Cloud curled up on his cot that night, listening to the snores or soft conversation of his comrades, and his new PHS buzzed under his pillow. Groggily he pulled it out and unlocked the screen. A text:

_Hello, Cloud. This is Reeve Tuesti. I hope you received the replacement PHS well and are recovering from your mission. I owe you several apologies and explanations, for obvious reasons. If you are willing, please come see me tomorrow in room 35F on the 82_ _nd_ _floor. I've sent the necessary permissions to your ID card, and the elevators will let you off there. Please sleep well._

Cloud glared through the bunk above at the hidden camera in the corner.

It was messy—an odd mix of too-formal and too-friendly. The man was probably scared of meeting with Cloud, but was making himself do it because Cloud deserved, at least, to yell at him in person. He typed out a response, then deleted it. Then he did the same thing again. Then he shoved his PHS back under his pillow, muttered, "That motherfucker," and thumped the mattress above with his foot when the guy above whispered, "That's pretty harsh, Strife."

He was not planning to go.  _Really._

It's just that—the next day he tried reading a book, and he tried going for a gentle run, and he tried doing most of the usual things he did to pass time on his off-days but nothing worked. He was stuck thinking about Reeve Tuesti, and he was stuck rehearsing the lecture he was going to give, and the only way to get unstuck was just to suck it up, go, and get it over with.

So Cloud found himself riding the elevator up to the 82nd floor feeling awkward crammed in there with sharp-looking people in suits while he just wore ripped skinny jeans and a t-shirt. Some SOLDIERs had been in there earlier with their large firearms and large swords, but they all got off on the SOLDIER floor or the ones near it. Cloud had never been up this high before.

Floor 82 was all gleaming glass and the kind of shiny too-perfect wood that definitely wasn't real and just put on top of metal. All kinds of important decisions were made up here, to be sure… in these conference rooms or behind these doors. And speaking of… 35F.

There was even a little plaque that said 'REEVE TUESTI' and beneath it, his position: Director of Dept of Housing and Urban Development.

Cloud hadn't been shy or nervous about it until this moment. He did all sorts of things in the military that had pushed most of his old anxieties right out of him—he changed in front of people of various genders, he had to get in front of squads and assume a leadership role sometimes, he had to report to his superiors and even his superiors' superiors sometimes. ShinRa had done wonders for his self-confidence, and he wasn't the same kid full of self-hatred who took it out on others and couldn't ever speak up.

Still… lingering in front of the door, Cloud's stomach tumbled and his limbs turned tingly and felt far-away. The rehearsed thing he had in his head where he put this executive in his place vanished. Was there even anything in the world that you  _could_  say to someone in this situation?

Despite himself, Cloud knocked.

After a long moment (where Cloud was fooled into thinking that maybe Tuesti wasn't there) the door slid open like an elevator's, retracting into the wall.

Bookshelves lined the walls, and although there were some books, most of the stuff on them were mechanical parts, wires and bolts and complicated machinery spilling everywhere. Cloud didn't give them more than a quick glance though, focusing on the man behind the cluttered desk, who was standing up and coming around to meet him.

He had more facial hair now than on his official ShinRa picture, a well-groomed brown square mustache and beard combo. Tuesti's hair was neatly pushed back too, gelled to perfection. Despite that and his well-fitting suit something about him seemed unkempt. It may have been his obvious nervousness. He came over with his arm outstretched, his eyes darting from Cloud's face and away, then resolutely back to Cloud's face until he got nervous again and had to look to the side.

Cloud shook his hand, a little confused, and as it dawned on him that Tuesti was just as awkward about this… it soothed him. The tension in his shoulders disappeared somewhat.

"Cloud," Tuesti said, shaking a bit too enthusiastically. "Thank you for coming—really. It's, mm, good to see you."

Pointless small talk, just idle chatter. Cloud found himself laughing nervously, tiny chuckles born from not knowing how to respond to Reeve's obvious discomfort.

Reeve chuckled too, sounding strained—then he retreated back behind his desk and gestured at Cloud to pull up a chair from the wall. Cloud did so, Reeve watching him move it in silence, and when Cloud sat down and looked up Reeve was poker-faced, his hands folded on the desk like he was in a formal meeting.

…Cloud had the upper hand, he realized.

Yeah, sure, he'd been embarrassed at finding out he'd been played—but he wasn't the high-up ShinRa executive who'd been found out jerking off to a teenager. Cloud could probably ruin this guy's career if he wanted. He didn't really want to, but making him squirm a bit was on his agenda.

"So," Cloud said, trying to appear relaxed, "You're the guy who creeped on me through Cait Sith."

Reeve straightened his posture, perhaps surprised by Cloud's directness. "Er, yes—Cait Sith is a robot that I control, and through Cait Sith I perform a lot of reconnaissance missions or hands-on repairs that it is difficult for me to do in person, having as many duties as I do here in Midgar, and—"

If Cloud had lost his rehearsed bit it was only fair for Reeve to lose it too. Cloud interrupted him: "What happened that night at the reactor? Did you have me help Cait Sith from the very beginning just so you could convince me to get naked and you could jerk off to me?"

Reeve's eyes widened and he cleared his throat. The man looked miserable, for a brief moment, and then smoothed it all out. "It's…" he said, bowing his head a little. "It's easy to feel brave when it's three in the morning, you're drunk, and you're interacting with a beautiful young man through a screen. It didn't feel real—the consequences of my actions seemed far away in that moment, too. I was terrified you'd end up the same way as Cait after my feed cut out, but clearly you're unharmed. And no—you were just in the right spot that first time you met Cait, when you helped me with the air vent."

It was easy to feel brave when it was three in the morning and you were far away from home in the middle of a mako reactor—that was the kind of setting where you might even be convinced to finger yourself for a weird crown-wearing caped cat.

"The monster almost got me 'cause my pants were around my ankles," Cloud pointed out.

"It was a bad idea for me to convince you to do that in such a dangerous spot. I knew that there was a possibility of a monster attacking, I just didn't care."

"…I kind of didn't either." Cloud shrugged. "I'm pissed that you never told me that you're, you know, really Cait Sith—but I guess I understand. I was maddest thinking that's why you had me do all that stuff around HQ in the first place."

Reeve shook his head, his eyes closing. "No. Like I said, the first time was accidental, and the second time, when I left you the note by the vent and you took Cait Sith below the plate, was because…well, you didn't ask too many questions, and you did as asked. I couldn't have asked for a better person to help Cait do what he needed to do, honestly. But then we got sidetracked by Zack Fair, and I discovered you're attracted to men and I noticed just how attractive you are after that… and then," Reeve sighed, raking a hand nervously through his impeccable hair, "after that I suppose I just wanted to see you again, and there were some tasks around the Tower that needed doing, so I figured it was a good idea to enlist your help again."

Cloud noted, "When I went around the Infantry area for you."

"Yes. For the record—the walls there are a nightmare. They'll need restructuring in the next two years."

Cloud didn't let them get sidetracked. "You texted me a lot after that. You know, I thought it was weird, how your texts sounded so different from the way Cait Sith talked."

"…I wasn't as careful as I should have been to attempt to mimic Cait Sith's speech in my texts. Texting you was—fun," Reeve confessed. He pulled at the collar of his neatly-buttoned shirt.

Yeah, it was. Cloud looked down at his knees, turning it all over in his mind. He tried to block Reeve out so he wouldn't feel pressured as he thought it over. Eventually Cloud said, "Yeah, well… just apologize to me again, and we're cool, I guess."

Reeve tilted his head. He looked surprised he'd gotten off so easily. "I apologize, Cloud," he said. "I made you do me all sorts of favors without properly explaining, and in a moment of drunken weakness I took advantage of you. In fact, what I did is probably assault—you didn't consent to giving a thirty-one year old man a show. I endangered your safety, too—you could have been killed. I'm deeply sorry—and I mean that. I let a small crush make me act recklessly."

It was…sweet. More of an apology Cloud had expected to get. He didn't even have the heart to rage at Tuesti like he'd planned, if the guy had been belligerent or not self-aware about what exactly he'd done.

Cloud nodded slowly, pushing his bangs out of his eyes. "…Okay," he said slowly. "I accept your apology." He got up and walked closer to Reeve, and the man looked mildly alarmed. Cloud ignored it though, leaning against the corner of the desk. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the storage device Cait plugged into the secret terminal in the reactor. "Here," Cloud said. "I don't know if it finished downloading or not."

Reeve accepted it. "You didn't have to do that," he said: "Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if you had thrown it into the vat."

It didn't seem like he was putting himself down for pity—just stating facts. "I should have," Cloud said, smiling.

"Thank you, though." Reeve tucked it into his desk drawer. When Cloud didn't leave, though, and go back to his seat, Reeve looked at him again. His gaze started at Cloud's thighs and traveled up, a bit too slowly. Seemed unintentional. Cloud caught the look-over.

"So…" Cloud started. "So, ah…"

Strifes weren't known for their smoothness. Cloud did okay at flirting when Zack was involved, but this wasn't Zack. Maybe he could try  _being_ Zack—every time Cloud had met him the man was just bursting with confidence. Cloud tried again. Zack Fair. "So, you have a 'crush' on me?"

Reeve swallowed—the bob of his adam's apple pushed the knot of his tie forward. "Well," he answered, and Cloud could practically see the gears in his head moving around. "Obviously. You're a gorgeous young man, and you're sweet to boot. I couldn't help but grow fond of you."

"Fond enough to want me to jerk off for you."

"Yes," Reeve answered, his voice a rasp, "Fond enough for that."

Zack Fair, Zack Fair. Cloud could do this. He pushed himself up to sit on the desk entirely, his legs hanging down on either side of Reeve's knees. Amazingly enough, his dick was interested.

This whole thing was so  _illicit._ He'd had a million fantasies about desk sex with Sephiroth, and this guy wasn't Sephiroth, but he  _was_ an important man with a desk who was clearly into Cloud and… it felt so fucked up, but thinking back to him masturbating for Cait with this handsome man jerking off too, in his bedroom or wherever, well—it kind of got him going.

Cloud leant back on his hands, lounging on the desk. Reeve looked at each of Cloud's legs in turn, then the plane of Cloud's chest. After a moment, his hands came up and rested on the tops of Cloud's knees—hesitantly, like he wanted to make absolute sure Cloud was okay with it.

He was—Cloud felt exhilarated and powerful. He didn't often feel this way, and it was great.

Sephiroth—he could channel Sephiroth too. He could strike a deal, he could be in charge. He could get what he wanted.

"I think you owe me still," Cloud said.

Reeve's thumbs had started stroking the side of his knees, soft over the roughness of his jean fabric. There was a rip on the left one, stylishly distressed or whatever, and Reeve's thumb dipped into it, his touch shockingly electric against his bare skin. "I do," he said. "Name your price, Strife."

"I want you to get me Zack Fair's phone number," Cloud declared. "Do your hacking thing. It was on my old PHS, which I lost because of you, and I don't know how to get it again."

Reeve nodded.

"And I'm pretty sure Cait Sith promised me a nice meal in Midgar at one point."

"…I remember that. I'll buy you whatever you want. I'll deliver it, if you'd rather not go out with me."

"No, going out with you is fine—so long as it's you, and not Cait Sith."

Reeve breathed, "Done."

"And…" oh, Gaia, this was unlike him—but he was channeling Zack Fair  _and_ Sephiroth now, and the two of them could surely get anything they wanted in this world. Cloud slid off the desk and onto Reeve's lap. He rested on his shins on the plush leather of the chair's seat. He rested his hands on Reeve's chest—the man's heartbeat raced—and after mustering his courage again he slid his arms around Reeve's neck as much as he could. "…It'd be nice if you could tell me a little more about this crush you have on me."

"I can do that," Reeve answered. His hands went to Cloud's hips, and when Cloud gave an encouraging little wiggle of his hips, they coasted back, not wasting any time, and settled on his ass, just like that. He had big hands, and they cupped his ass nicely, even squeezing a tiny bit. Okay—maybe this guy was as horny as Cloud suddenly was.

"I suppose it started when I—or Cait, rather—was stuffed into that bag and you went dancing with Zack Fair," Reeve murmured. His breath smelled nice, like spearmint. Maybe he snacked on mints. Up close Cloud could see the trim edges of his facial hair, and the hint of stubble starting to show through in a few spots. He must have to shave every day. "It was a bit nauseating watching the screen bounce around like that-" Cloud grinned a little, "-but I listened to you and Zack flirt a bit, and I got a bit possessive. After all, you were my helper."

"I was," Cloud agreed, his stomach muscles tensing at the word 'possessive.' Hot.

"And after, when you left the club, and let Cait out of the bag, you were… flushed from dancing, and a little bit drunk, and acting very cute. I was surprised."

"Mm." Cloud slid his arms up Reeve's shoulders, his clasped hands now jutting out a foot or two away from Reeve's chair, his chest pressing closer to Reeve's.

"And I wanted to see you again, after that, so I peeked in on you in the camera in your dorm—I shouldn't have, but I told myself I just wanted to make sure you were alright. I didn't do it often, but I checked in on you every now and again. And then… you saw your ex, that SOLDIER, and I got mad, thinking that I could treat you better than he. Show you a better time. Make you happier."

Cloud's response was breathy and wavered a little bit: "Ohhh."

"So I started texting you." Reeve's hands dipped into Cloud's jean pockets, groping his ass again, and Cloud shifted a little, pushing his bottom into Reeve's hands. "And you were as sweet and snarky as I thought you'd be. A couple times I thought about you as I masturbated, and when you had a mission to a problem reactor I jumped at the chance for Cait to accompany you."

Reeve paused, then. "I promise, I didn't send Cait out there with the purpose of getting you alone."

"It just sorta happened," Cloud finished for him. Reeve nodded. Cloud prompted: "And after all of that?"

"I've been thinking about how fucked up I am, doing that to you—and about how I'm far too old for you, and that you'd probably report me to the sexual harassment office."

"…And now?"

"I'm amazed I've got you on my lap, honestly."

Reeve squeezed his ass again, and Cloud's cock throbbed, starting to fill out and strain against his jeans. It hurt. Cloud breathed out unsteadily. "I've got to be honest too," he said. "In case you are—I'm not looking for a boyfriend. I'm going to date either Zack Fair or Sephiroth."

It didn't look like Reeve thought it would happen, but he swallowed again and nodded seriously. Cloud couldn't tell if he looked disappointed or not. "Understood."

"But also," Cloud blurted, "It's been almost half a year since I got fucked, and you're a lot hotter than I thought you'd be, and it's actually kind of hot that you got off to me a bunch of times and I didn't know it."

Reeve scooped Cloud forward, moving the blond up his body until their dicks pressed together between their clothes—and oh, fuck, Reeve was stiff down there too, it wasn't just Cloud. "A boy like you, not getting any for half a year," the older man murmured, "I can hardly believe it. I'll fix that."

_Please,_ Cloud's hips answered, moving in a circular motion, stimulating them both and making Cloud's breath catch.

Reeve kissed him then, and his lips were cool and minty but his tongue warm. There was scratch from his beard and smooth from his hands which were under his shirt now, and sharp from his blunt nails digging into his waist and hips. Reeve groaned in his throat, leaning forward into Cloud like he couldn't get enough of him, and fuck it was so so  _so_ hot how bad this random guy wanted him, some guy Cloud had never even seen before in his life.

He bit at Cloud's neck, right over the thudding pulse and Cloud shook on his lap, squirming, so turned on it was painful. Reeve's hands scrabbled at his back.

The phone rang. Tuesti didn't answer it, but he pulled away, panting raggedly, to look at the caller ID. "…That was the vice-president," he said, once the ringing had stopped.

"Oh." Cloud waited, unsure if that meant they had to stop or not.

Reeve ran his hand through his hair again, leaning back in his chair. "Why don't… you come over tonight?" he suggested. "I can show you the other Cait Sith models."

_Yeah, sure, that's why Cloud would visit._

"Okay," Cloud answered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Text me when to stop by, since you have the number of the new phone you got me. Thanks for that, by the way."

"It was the least I could do."

Cloud got off of Reeve's lap, and as he straightened his clothes and adjusted his dick in his pants it dawned on him just how forward he had just been, and how risky and unusual this hookup.

_Fuck it,_ he thought, and said "See you later," to Reeve who nodded stoically, though his impressive façade was a little weakened by his mussed up hair.

Cloud saw himself out, still breathing heavily. His cheeks burned in the elevator down—he was convinced all these execs knew exactly what kind of hanky-panky he'd just gotten up to with one of their directors. He made it back to his bunk without incident. He couldn't help but wonder if Reeve was watching, from the camera in the corner.

It made his dick hard again, to be honest. He spent the few hours between that and when Reeve invited him over showering, scrubbing every inch of himself, eating (foods that would quickly move through him—being unable to fit Reeve's cock in his ass 'cause of a giant shit blocking everything, that would be mortifying)—and lying there impatiently, playing round after round of a boring game on his new PHS to help pass the time.

Eventually he did get the text:  _Hello Cloud, this is Reeve again. My apartment is 351 on the 66_ _th_ _floor. I look forward to seeing you._

Cloud didn't want to seem  _too_ eager so he made himself wait twenty minutes in the main lobby, watching people pass by even at this hour, before he went up there. The condoms in his back pocket seemed abnormally heavy, and his lips tingled, as if anticipating more kisses. Tuesti wasn't bad at it at all… for a dude who hid behind a robot.

Cloud had been expecting some awkward, perhaps not conventionally attractive guy who didn't know how to talk to people, honestly—not such a neat, put-together man. It remained to see what he was like in his home—and how he was in bed.

…Damn, it had been a long time since the last time he and his Ex had sex. He'd brushed his teeth thoroughly but Cloud chewed gum just to be safe all the way up there, and he stuck the gum behind a leaf at a decorative potted plant. The hallway was sterile, with the usual metal and nondescript doors. He wondered if the more 'important' execs lived higher up or if any of these doors he passed could have belonged to Heidegger or whoever.

Better hurry to Reeve's before anyone asked him what the hell he was doing here.

He rang the doorbell at 351, shifting uncomfortably on his feet and frantically wondering if he'd gotten the wrong door somehow, as racing thoughts tended to do as you waited for the person inside to come to the door. The knob turned, and Cloud stiffened.

Reeve was in more casual clothes now, gray jeans and a neat dark blue sweater. He was fairly tall (most adult men were, compared to Cloud) but seemed shorter out of uniform. He imagined the same was true for Zack or Sephiroth; most people at ShinRa seemed less imposing when in civvies. It put Cloud at ease, a bit… this guy was just  _some guy,_ a guy who wanted to sleep with him and had a cat robot.

Gulp.

"Cloud," Reeve said, and he didn't sound nervous but he was shifting his weight back and forth on his feet which gave him away. Like before, it gave Cloud a little peace to realize he wasn't the only one. "Thanks for coming."

"I haven't done that yet," Cloud joked, his brain working on autopilot.

"Erm— uh," Reeve stammered, clearing his throat.

"Sorry, that was a really crappy joke." Cloud rubbed the back of his neck, moving past Reeve into the apartment as the man stepped back.

"No, it was good, I just, ah—my brain doesn't work as quickly around you as it normally does. I'm not always this tongue-tied."

Cloud stopped looking around to eye Reeve, and Tuesti offered him an uncomfortable, but genuine smile. He was sweet, and it made Cloud's cheeks red. "Thanks for inviting me," he murmured. "Nice place."

The door opened into the living room. There was a couch across from a huge television. There was a lot of technology in the room—large speakers, lamps with wiring… several tall bookshelves packed with books and miscellaneous computer parts spilling off the shelves. A poster for a fantastically nerdy movie from about when Cloud was born hung framed on one wall.

"It's kind of cluttered. Too many hobbies."

Cloud strolled forward after kicking off his boots, just to be safe in case Reeve was particular about it. Reeve followed close behind, and there was this electricity between them. A prickling on the back of his neck, telling that Reeve watched him. Their arms brushed, and Cloud's fingers twitched, itching to touch more of him. "Clearly you like building robots… and science-fiction movies. What else?"

Reeve's entertainment system had a cabinet built into it, and he opened the doors, revealing stacks of board games. "I don't often get to host parties, but I love tabletop games. I'll admit most aren't fun to play by myself."

"You should play Cait Sith," Cloud joked.

"I can put him more or less on autopilot mode, but I'm still developing his understanding of all the different games. He mixes up the rules and ends up throwing a fit when he loses."

Cloud did something brave—he hooked a finger through Reeve's belt loops and used it to pull himself closer to the man. Their legs bumped and Cloud gently pressed himself against Reeve. Reeve wrapped an arm around Cloud's shoulders, and it was soft and warm. "Throwing a fit?" Cloud clarified.

"I'm apparently a  _cocksucking pile o' fucking garbage,_ wouldn't you know."

That was pretty funny. Chuckling, Cloud said, "So even you are fair game for him."

Reeve shook his head and looked utterly exasperated for a moment. "No respect for his creator."

A slightly awkward silence fell. They were touching now, and it was difficult to figure out how to transition this into something more intense without seeming—well, indecent, perhaps. Overeager. Cloud 'subtly' brushed past Reeve, managing to press against the front of his pants as he did so, and he was fairly sure he felt the slightest bit of evidence that Reeve was just as ready as he to get this show on the road.

"Show me the rest of the place," Cloud said, looking back behind him and extending a hand. Reeve graciously took it, lacing their fingers together tightly. They moved through the kitchen ("Oh," Reeve said, hurrying away from Cloud and to a plastic shopping bag sitting out on the island in the center. He picked it up and hung it from the crook in his elbow, taking Cloud's hand again with the other one. "I definitely don't have this," he said, and Cloud agreed, charmed, "definitely not." Looks like Reeve really didn't often bring people over, if it was indeed  _sex things_ inside that bag. Cute.)

There was a tiny laundry nook, a bathroom (well maintained, no clumps of hair on the floor) a closet—

"Oh, ah, Cloud—"

Cloud was already nosily peeking inside though, and what he saw made him jerk back with a shout. Reeve Tuesti was stuffed in the closet.

"That's a robot," Reeve said quickly, tugging Cloud back close to him. "I know it's realistic, but—"

"It looks just like you!"

Cloud, heart pounding, looked back and forth between the real Reeve and the man in the closet, standing among a mop, a broom, and various other things Cloud couldn't really focus on because this 'robot' looked so lifelike it was utterly eerie. It even had stubble. Reeve pulled out his phone, and his PHS didn't look anything like Cloud's—it was larger, and Reeve quickly moved through all sorts of menus. The Reeve robot opened its eyes, blinking for a moment. Its shoulders were stiff and it moved…well, robotically, but just for a moment. Then it sighed, relaxed, and looked right at him. "Hello, Cloud," he said pleasantly.

"…Woah."

The robot extended its hand, and Cloud shook. It didn't even feel too cold!

"Sometimes when going out into the field or on a particularly dangerous mission I'll send my robot. There's a Cait Sith inside controlling it."

"Or particularly boring meetings?"

Reeve smiled at Cloud—the man thought he was  _funny._ "I won't confirm or deny that."

"If I didn't know better I would totally think this is you," Cloud breathed. Then, "Hey—how do I know  _you're_ not a robot?"

"Try me," Reeve said, grinning.

Cloud moved his hands to Reeve's hips. He was a pretty thin man, but his chest broadened up by his shoulders. Cloud felt his pecs and chest through his soft sweater. His gaze flicked up to Reeve's to check everything was okay, and then he delved his hands underneath the sweater.

Warm skin… an erratically beating heart. He  _did things_ to Reeve Tuesti. Cloud felt so powerful.

"Everything seems to check out," Cloud murmured. "One more thing…"

His fingers curled around the waistband of Reeve's jeans. He pulled a little, so Reeve was as close as possible, and then gently cupped his cock through them. It wasn't erect or anything, but it didn't feel completely flaccid either. Their flirting and touching so far was doing things to Cloud, too.

"I suppose you're real," Cloud finally said.

Reeve crowded him back against the wall, his staring robot-self be damned. "Trust me," he said lowly into Cloud's ear, "I wouldn't want to miss this."

Cloud had to kiss him; his lips burned with the need to do it. Reeve's lips immediately parted for Cloud's tongue. His hands grabbed at Cloud's hips, pressing their pelvises together.

Cloud jumped, though, when the Reeve-Robot attempted to get in on the action. He reached for Cloud's thigh, and the real Reeve swatted the other hand away with a sigh. "Sorry," he said.

The Reeve-Robot answered, "I can't help being fond of Cloud as well, since you are. My life is terribly boring, you know."

"It's self-aware," Cloud said, a bit awed.

"Not really—it just knows which scripts to say that sound the most realistic. Apparently it wants to have sex with you." He pulled out his PHS and deactivated it, then maneuvered it back into the closet.

"…What's it got down there?" Cloud asked, eyeing the robot's pants.

Reeve looked over his shoulder at Cloud.

"I mean," Cloud said, "You're hot, so—it's hot too, and um, forget it."

"You're a little wild, Cloud Strife."

"Me agreeing to jerk off for Cait Sith should have been your first clue," Cloud replied, folding his arms. He was irrationally embarrassed for asking that question—but come  _on,_ if you could be double-teamed by somebody and their hyper realistic robot, wouldn't anyone take that?

Reeve chuckled at him and drew Cloud close to his side again. He kept moving down the hall—towards the bedroom, probably. Two computers sat against the wall, and what looked like another Cait Sith lay deactivated on the floor, but Cloud didn't really stop to appreciate it. He was too busy pulling Reeve onto the bed. He crawled up it and flopped back against the pillows, waiting, smug and excited, for Reeve to follow him.

"Just to check," Reeve said, standing tall at the end of the bed, "You're okay with this happening."

"Yeah. Are you?"

Reeve nodded, looking entirely too grave for the situation. "Smile a bit," Cloud said. "Sex is fun. I'm not so scary."

"You're far scarier than you realize, Cloud," Reeve murmured, but he joined Cloud on the bed. Instead of lying on Cloud or kissing him, he merely laid down beside Cloud, lying on his side to face him. Cloud turned, and they stared at each other. Reeve said, "Thank you for giving this far-too-old-for-you man a chance."

Cloud pressed his smile into the pillow, embarrassed again. "You're a much bigger flatterer than I thought you'd be."

"You have a cute smile, and you blush. Makes me want to be honest with you."

Cloud blurted, "I thought, since you, you know, use robots and stuff, you'd be different. Less, um, smooth."

"Haha. My people skills aren't  _totally_ nonexistent…"

Cloud hid a smile into the pillow again, surprisingly…smitten with this guy. He still wasn't interested in dating him, but he was happy with how well they got along, this man he'd just met legitimately for the first time. Cloud lifted a leg and they both scooted inward so that Cloud could hike it up over Reeve's hips. Reeve's hand coasted up from his calf to Cloud's waist, squeezing Cloud's thigh fondly.

Reeve adjusted Cloud's angle so that their dicks could press together through their jeans, and he rolled Cloud over onto his back, following him—and then there they were, Reeve's weight pressing Cloud down, and they were kissing, nice and easy.

Underneath Reeve, Cloud pushed his hips up, loving the friction. Reeve's hair was gelled back (Cloud quickly realized he didn't exactly want to be running his fingers through it because of the product inside), and his facial hair was soft. His nose poked Cloud's cheekbone and Reeve inhaled Cloud's soft sighs between kisses.

It was so fun.

When they sat up, Cloud sat himself on Reeve's lap and put his biceps on Reeve's shoulders, arms resting out behind the older man, kind of like he had on the chair earlier. Reeve gripped his hips and smiled crookedly at him, inches away from Cloud's face. "You're awful beautiful, laddie," he crooned, imitating Cait.

Cloud laughed, then bumped his forehead against Reeve's. "Knock it off," he growled, fighting a grin. He didn't know how to respond to all these compliments Reeve kept giving him. In response, Reeve kissed him again. He acted like Cloud's lips were addicting.

To distract him, Cloud pawed at the crotch of his pants. As he undid Reeve's belt, he asked, "So… what are you cool with?"

"Anything," Reeve answered, "Any way you want me works."

"Fuck," Cloud muttered, his fingers scrabbling at Reeve's belt now. He got it loose and Reeve slid him off his lap, then got off the bed to stand and drop his jeans to the floor. He had a plain pair of dark blue boxer-briefs, clearly tented from the boner hidden beneath them, and as Reeve got back onto the bed, this time on his knees, he pulled his sweater over his head and dropped it over the side.

Tuesti didn't have as much muscle definition as Cloud, and not nearly as much as Zack or another SOLDIER, but he had broad shoulders and soft skin that Cloud reached out to touch. He had a tiny belly, squishy and cute. He covered Cloud with his body, his disheveled hair hanging down past his forehead and eyes as he tugged Cloud's shirt up and off. Reeve pressed kisses to Cloud's sternum and just above his belly button, and then inched Cloud's jeans off his hips.

"…You've been waiting for this, huh," Cloud murmured, helping peel the jeans off with his socked feet.

"Mm. When you pulled them down in the mako reactor—that was so damn erotic."

_Erotic_ , spoken like a true gentleman. Cloud smiled. Reeve didn't try to get Cloud out of his underwear yet, but Cloud was ready to get them off; Reeve had seen his goods anyway, there weren't any surprises. Cloud slipped a finger under the elastic waistband and waited for Reeve to catch on, then folded his arms behind his head and watched as Reeve peeled them down, kissing his inner thigh once or twice on the way. Cloud's cock sprang free and up towards his belly button, mostly hard.

To his surprise, Reeve huffed a breath and then took the head of Cloud's cock into his mouth, just like that. Cloud let out a small "Oof!" not expecting the sudden sensations, but they were  _good,_ and as Reeve's tongue lewdly swirled around the head of his cock he let out a shaky groan, spreading his legs and digging into Reeve's back with the heels of his feet.

Reeve popped off and worked Cloud's cock with his hand until he had Cloud squirming and panting. He was gentle, and he seemed to respect Cloud's body—this was a good decision, Cloud could tell already.

Cloud's asshole was already clenching around absolutely nothing, and Reeve noticed, Cloud was sure he did. Dammit—he wanted to get  _fucked_!

"Get on with it," Cloud sighed, turned on as hell with his knees back now, exposing everything he had to offer, and with Reeve's greedy eyes on his intimate spots, nothing but approval and hunger in his eyes. Reeve's cock looked so painful trapped in his underwear like that, but he reached for the shopping bag on the floor instead.

Glancing at Cloud, Reeve said, "We're going to imagine that I am seductively pulling these from the bedside drawer."

"Reeve Tuesti, a different man in his bed every night," Cloud narrated, now stroking his own cock a little. "When he's got too many dates lined up he sends his robot-self out to get fucked in someone else's bed while he's getting fucked here."

"You nailed it," Reeve said, chuckling a little. "A box of condoms a week."

"Value-sized pack."

"Obviously."

Reeve took off his underwear. The light wasn't very strong in here; the sun was mostly set now, and Reeve only had a light in the corner on. So Cloud couldn't exactly see every detail of Reeve's dick, but he crawled forward until he could feel it, and it was solid and warm in his hand, and then there were Reeve's lips, warm on his throat and the side of his face.

As Reeve took out a condom, squinting (cute—did he need reading glasses?) at the size, ribbing and lube information just to be sure, Cloud relaxed against the pillows with the lube that was also in the bag. He gave Reeve a show, just like he'd given one to Cait Sith. Tuesti recognized the situation right away.

Cait had asked Cloud to stroke his cock… done. And Cait had asked Cloud to finger himself. Cloud covered his fingers in lube, working one in circles around his hole, then dipping it in slightly, coating the inside of his sphincter. A bit more lube, and then he sank one finger in, teasing himself.

As one became two Reeve gently stroked his well-shaped cock, neatly framed in dark pubic hair. Cloud made a small noise in his throat, three fingers in his ass now, crooking this way and that as he prepared for Reeve's cock inside him.

Both of them were in on the joke—Reeve cracked a grin first, and then Cloud gave a quiet smile, both remembering how they had been in these same positions before… just a little differently, with Reeve drunk at home and Cloud in a mako reactor. "Since I've got you here and I'm not drooling over you through a screen," Reeve said, "I'm going to make the most of it." He paused, his gaze all heat as it raked Cloud's form, making the young blond shiver. He then added, "I'd really like to have sex with you now."

Cloud struggled not to smile again. Reeve was in some ways so awkward and then endearing because of that awkwardness. Well, Cloud wasn't the best with his words either—and he could see Reeve's hand trembling now, as it gripped the back of Cloud's thighs.

Yeah, he'd really like to have sex with Reeve now too.

Instead of answering out loud Cloud spread his legs more, wrapping them around Reeve's hips. Then it was like Reeve flipped some sort of switch inside. His face was naturally suited to a more serious look; he had tiny crinkles around his eyes and the beginning of some frown lines forming near his mouth and on his forehead. He now looked more intensely than before at Cloud, his mouth turned down, the gears in his head so clearly whirring together like a computer's humming processor.

It happened without much fanfare. Reeve grabbed Cloud's hips, pulled him closer, spread his sticky, slick cheeks, and positioned his lubed cock at Cloud's stretched asshole. Slowly, it went in. A small bit of discomfort as the head slipped in quickly faded; he'd prepared well. Reeve sank in, his balls now resting against the curve of Cloud's ass.

He curled down to kiss Cloud, and his lips and tongue were gentle as anything now. His fingers stroked Cloud's hair off his forehead, soft and kind. He murmured against Cloud's panting mouth, "How do you like it?"

"If you're not gonna move much, deep. If you're gonna fuck me fast, then shallower."

The soreness he sometimes got from deep or too-deep thrusts wasn't always worth the orgasm, Cloud felt—but Reeve was good to go, raising Cloud's hips slightly and fucking into him with some slow, shallow thrusts. He tilted his head:  _good?_ Cloud nodded:  _very._

And Reeve was louder than him—he groaned a bit as his cock disappeared into Cloud. The usual pornstar thing was deep thrusts that had your balls smacking against your partner's taint or whatever the hell, wasn't it? Cloud's Infantry buddies gave him stories of fucking dudes who would prioritize their own pleasure to the point where they'd end up hurting his friends. Reeve was careful to respect Cloud's wishes, only giving Cloud maybe two-thirds of his length but slowly sped up until he was giving it to him  _fast_ , and Cloud loved it.

He turned Cloud onto his side, one leg out to the side with the other thigh pointed straight up; he hugged Cloud's leg, fingers grabbing at the meat of his thigh near his knee, and fucked him like that. Reeve's cock was warm… making Cloud feel like he was melting from the inside out. There was no pain, just pleasure, just comfort and safety and a whole lot of fun.

Reeve's face: he looked so full of concentration, but also so… lost in it, kind of—and Cloud had to speak to him to bring him back.

"It's good?" Cloud panted, clenching around Reeve's cock with his inner muscles.

"Oh, Cloud," was the only answer.

(Cloud felt unstoppable.)

Reeve was  _good_ at this—he'd managed to angle Cloud's ass up just right to stimulate his prostate and he was considerate, reaching down and fondling Cloud's cock as he fucked him, but he was trembling and Cloud didn't want to let a civilian tire out. "Reeve," he murmured, and then again, when Reeve didn't respond, perhaps thinking it was a moan, "Reeve."

"Mm?" Reeve pulled out and stopped, looking down with concern. His previously groomed hair was a wreck, and he looked more handsome this way.

Cloud climbed to his knees and kissed him. Being close to Tuesti, smelling his mix of minty breath and subtle cologne—that was even better than getting fucked by him, but the other part was good too. "Sit back?" Cloud asked.

They got Reeve to sit against the headboard, pushing the pillows to the side. Cloud straddled his cock and then sank down, all the way down, cocooned in Reeve's arms with the man's lips on his neck and voice in his ear and his hands scrabbling at Cloud's lower back.

Cloud was a member of the Infantry for ShinRa Electric and Power—he could grind on Reeve's lap all damn night before his legs gave out. Cloud could be Sephiroth, and he could be Zack, and, most importantly, he could be sexy in a way that only Cloud Strife could.

Like this Reeve was close enough to touch and kiss—his facial hair tickled Cloud's face. Cloud grinned against Reeve's mouth, moving his hips now, taking Reeve's cock deep at a pace that worked for him, and Reeve just groaned, groaned in response.

A hot blond working himself to orgasm on your cock had to be pretty damn nice.

Cloud tended to be quiet during sex but seeing just how wrecked Reeve was made him speak up. So powerful. "Have you thought about this?" He murmured, quiet and Nibel accented, into Reeve's ear.

"You have no idea," Reeve answered. He pulled his face back, previously tucked into Cloud's neck, to survey all of Cloud, to take the whole sight in. Cloud leant back, exposing more of himself. Sometimes he felt kind of inadequate compared to the guys who had more muscle in the Infantry, but compared to Reeve Cloud's body was pretty defined indeed. It was the appreciative look Reeve gave him that sent Cloud over the edge—Reeve pumped his dick through it.

Cloud's orgasm left him boneless and gasping on Reeve's cock but he soldiered (SOLDIERed?) on anyway, bouncing on Reeve as fast as was comfortable for him, saying something incoherent about Reeve fucking his ass until he came in it, until he was spent.

Reeve understood what Cloud was trying to get across. He grabbed Cloud's jaw, not painfully, just firmly, and kissed him hard, murmuring between kisses that he sure as hell  _was_ going to fuck Cloud's pretty ass until he came in it, that he was going to use Cloud's asshole for his own pleasure, that he was so glad this beautiful young man was giving him this chance.

When Reeve came he did not move; he stilled in Cloud, his breath gushing hot and wet on the side of Cloud's neck. His arms gripped Cloud tight, and he gave tiny gasps each time his cock spurted semen inside his blond friend. Cloud held him in return, grinning through his exhaustion. Cloud's sweaty hair was all in his eyes and his legs trembled but it was okay—it was more than okay, it was  _awesome_.

Reeve slowly pulled out (considerate) and as he carefully removed the condom Cloud rolled to the edge of the bed and stood up, his legs  _really_ like jelly now. "If I don't clean up right now," he rasped, staggering to Reeve's bathroom connected to the bedroom, "I won't do it, I'm wiped out."

Reeve's chuckles chased him into the bathroom. He did his business (Reeve had even set out a packaged toothbrush, in case Cloud decided to stay the night) and came out with a wet, warm washcloth for Reeve too, which he handed over with a suddenly shy smile. He got one back.

Cloud was… a cuddler after sex, he really was. Not everyone was. He got back on the bed, his heart rate slowing now, and spooned up behind Reeve who held the covers up for him, pressing his forehead to the middle of the man's back and wrapping an arm around his waist. "This okay?" he asked.

Reeve seemed even more boneless than Cloud. "Mmm," he hummed.

Cloud held the older man for a minute; they listened to each other's breathing and the occasional soft rustle of blankets. Then, Reeve said, "Thank you, Cloud."

"You don't need to thank me," Cloud muttered into Reeve's skin, his eyes closed. "It wasn't a pity fuck or anything. I wanted to. It was fun."

"I understand, but I'm grateful all the same."

Cloud was unsure who fell asleep first. He zoned out, in a soft, warm cocoon, Reeve's warmth right against his head and his knees scooped up behind Reeve's. It was nice to be the big spoon, even if he was littler. He woke up an indeterminable amount of time later as the blankets got pulled off of them both.

Like in a damn horror movie.

Blinking awake, alarmed, Cloud peered down at their feet. Reeve was already sitting up, dislodging Cloud's arm around his waist.

"Ugh, where's my phone," Reeve groaned.

Cait Sith, who hopped up onto the bed, said, "Finally things settle down, eh?"

"Uh… hey, Cait," Cloud said, letting his head fall back down.

"Finally things settle down, eh?" Cait Sith repeated, like a CD that had skipped. Then he sat down by Cloud's knees. Reeve was out of bed now, and rustling around in his dropped clothes. He pulled out his PHS, the big, complicated thing that it was, and tapped the screen furiously for a minute.

Cait Sith froze and fell over onto his side. This one did not have a crown or whiskers. "Sorry, Cloud," Reeve muttered, placing his PHS on the bedside table. "That's a prototype that isn't finished. I was working on it a bit before you came over earlier, and I guess I was so nervous I forgot to turn him off…"

He yawned, big and wide, disheveled as hell. His soft cock drooped between his legs and he stretched. "I forgot to brush my teeth," he murmured, frowning, and went into the bathroom.

Cloud grinned, amused at how sleepy-slow Reeve was. He waited for Reeve to come back, eyeing the frozen Cait through drooping eyes. He wondered how many there were… what the first ones were like, as Reeve developed them. What the AI was like—it seemed Cait Sith could do a couple things on his own without Reeve controlling him, but only a couple.

While Cloud dozed, Reeve returned. He took Cait away someplace and fixed the blankets, carefully covering Cloud in them. Cloud cracked open an eye as Reeve got back into bed. The man looked like he didn't want to disturb him so was carefully arranging himself so he didn't touch Cloud.

Cloud reached out to touch Reeve's arm and pursed his lips in a kissing motion:  _I'm too tired to say 'kiss me,' but kiss me._

Reeve rolled over on top of Cloud, gently pushing him down with his weight (Reeve couldn't hurt Cloud; Cloud was tough, forged by the Infantry's rigorous training program). He cupped Cloud's face, all minty again, and kissed him.

They made out for a little while, sleepy and soft, rubbing against each other gently but without the intent of taking this further—at least, not right now. Cloud felt like he could have melted into the bed and become part of the mattress and not even notice—he was that zen, that relaxed.

Reeve was talking to him, a little bit, sexy things that made Cloud's sleepy dick twitch between them. There was lots Reeve wanted to do to him, and he detailed some of them, looking tired himself, his eyes closed as he kissed Cloud and murmured against his cheek and mouth, his body warm and soft on top of Cloud's.

Licking Cloud's ass, fucking him awake, Cloud pounding Reeve's ass with Reeve spread out over his own office desk, fingering Cloud in the shower… lots of things, conveyed disjointedly, Reeve sounding drunker and drunker as he said it, falling asleep on top of Cloud. Cloud consented to all of it, showing Reeve how much he liked these ideas by rubbing his leg against Reeve's cock, even though they both knew it wasn't going anywhere.

They fell asleep again, messily intertwined.

Cloud slept soundly, though he did have a fairly erotic dream. Sephiroth was fucking him.

Long hair, green eyes, leather coat, warm hands. Sephiroth.  _Mmm_.

Except Cloud came out of his dream slowly, horny as hell and wriggling where he was, his cock aching, his body lit up from the inside out, his prostate being stimulated. Sephiroth faded, and Cloud gasped, his eyes opening, looking at soft, dark hair. His arms were wrapped around Reeve's neck, and Reeve—Reeve was inside him.

"Oh, god," Cloud breathed, his voice so shaky.

Reeve hummed against his neck. He was mostly still inside Cloud, but he had a hand around Cloud's cock and massaged it gently. Cloud was totally hard and the head was sticky with pre-cum. "You're awake," he whispered, and Reeve's voice was rough with sleep.

Cloud's head dug back into the pillow. As a laugh bubbled up in his throat—he'd consented to this sometime in the middle of the night, and Reeve had actually  _done_ it—he moved his hands to cup Reeve's cheeks. So much stubble.

All Cloud could say was " _Godddd_ " again, and that seemed to amuse Reeve.

The man was no Sephiroth, but this wasn't half bad at all.

Reeve started to thrust. It was gentle and slow—behind Reeve's back, Cloud's feet clenched.

The blond couldn't seem to get air; he'd gasp and Reeve's thumb swiping over the slit on the head of his cock would drive that air right back out. Cloud was so relaxed, still partially sleepy, and he couldn't fight his orgasm at all. It rushed over him fast, leaving Reeve's hand sticky and making the older man grin wolfishly.

Reeve said  _good boy_  as he pulled out of Cloud and if the blond hadn't just orgasmed a moment ago that would have done it, it really would've.

Reeve jerked off onto Cloud's stomach. He worked his fingers into Reeve's dark hair and held him close, crooning out his delight as Reeve came too, dribbling through his already cum-soaked fingers.

And did they fall back asleep after that? It was too hard to tell—but at some point they talked for a while, making each other laugh as they shaded Heidegger and the upper echelon of the Infantry. Then they were up, and Cloud was in Reeve's clothes, and they were in the kitchen, watching Reeve's 'Reeve Robot' attempt to make them breakfast.

Reeve showed him his laptop screen, where he had a complicated looking script for how to crack eggs correctly and how long to toast, well, toast.

"This is incredibly lazy," Cloud noted.

Reeve winked at him, and it was charming on this sex-mussed nerd who tinkered with robots for fun. "I'll have you know it took several hours to figure out how to get Cait to figure out some of this stuff."

The robot came over and gave them plates of scrambled eggs… the shells of those eggs included. Reeve glowered at the plate and started typing on his laptop. "Looks like it's going to take a few more," he muttered.

Cloud grinned, standing and pushing the Reeve-robot to sit down at the table. His head tipped back horrifically on his neck, separating at a hinge. The chest cavity opened, and out popped a Cait Sith, who sat himself at the fourth seat at the table. "If you think you're so smart, laddie, then  _you_ make 'em," Cait huffed.

Cloud just nodded, and Reeve's typing paused for a long moment so he could laugh.


End file.
